T'i W « T 



rx T r% 




Class Fiai 



Copyright W 



COEmiGUT DEPOSin 



Copyrigh t 1917 by A. L. Byron-Curtiss 



All Rights Reserved 



DEC 20 ^9•.l^ 



Made in the United States of America 



The Gorham Press, Boston, U, S, A. 



©CI.A479893 | Lib' 



v - ^\ 



To My Son Joseph 

Chum of his Pop on fishing and hunting trips 
since he was eight years old; and who is gallantly 
learning to paddle his own canoe. This book is 
affectionately dedicated by his Dad, the Author. 



PREFACE 

"And call the muses to their ancient seats 
To paint anew the flowery sylvan scenes." 

Windsor Forest. 

This book is a sort of compound of the author's 
personal experiences and observations, together 
with stories and yarns picked up by the way. In 
weaving them into a book I have endeavored to 
make the completed tale instructive as well as 
inspiring to the youthful reader, while the mild 
flights of philosophy indulged in here and there, 
have been with the object of possibly leaving "a 
good taste in the mouth" of the more mature and 
critical reader who might scoff at the story as a 
whole. 

The Adirondack wilderness is a very different 
one from the days when William H. H. Murray 
wrote of it. Then the mountains were visited by 
a few hundreds at the most. Now the annual 
visitors are many thousands in number. But In 
spite of its popularity and accessibility, there still 
remain opportunities and places in plenty for 

5 



6 Preface 

mildly exciting experiences and adventures, In this 
domain of nature. They can be found If sought 
with persistence and Intelligence. If not found 
It will be largely the fault of the seeker, not of the 
wilderness In which they are concealed. For, 
after all, a great many of the pleasurable ex- 
periences of one's life, or the absence of them. Is 
dependent on the frame of mind one Is In, and 
the mood and temperament In which one 
approaches the object of his pleasure. The charm 
of the woods, the poetry of the trail, the thrill of 
the strike In the depths of a black pool, or the 
tingling of the blood on a frosty morning, at the 
echo of a rifle shot, rest as much with the buoy- 
ancy of spirit as with training and experience. It 
Is In hopes of mxaking a small contribution to all 
three that the book Is written. 

Arbor day 1917. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. ABUSES OF PASSES IN GENERAL 1 3 

II. ADIRONDACK ROADS, OLD AND NEW 28 

III. BREAK o'dAY IN THE MOUNTAINS 4I 

IV. PASSES AGAIN 55 
V. GAME WARDEN VERSUS GAME KEEPER 68 

VI. HORNETS AND WHISKEY 80 

VII. A RISING ECHO 92 

VIII. BUSSBY LAKE LODGES IO3 

IX. A SQUALL ON A LAKE I I4 

X. THE MOTHER BEAR APPEARS I 26 

XL THE HATCHERY I39 

XII. A RUDE AWAKENING 1 55 

XIII. A LAZY DAY IN CAMP 170 

XIV. earl's CAMERA I 85 
XV. A LAKE OR WHAT 1 99 

XVI. A RAINY DAY IN CAMP 2IO 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Facing Page 
AT THE HEAD OF THE LAKE WAS A MOUNTAIN 

CALLED ICE CAVE, Frontispiece ^" 

seth's house 42 ^ 

for colfax's shelter there was a log 

HOUSE 70 "-'' 

WILD, ROUGH BEAUTY AND FEARFUL POWER I90 v 



THE STORY OF A PASS IN THE 
ADIRONDACKS 



THE STORY OF A PASS IN THE 
ADIRONDACKS 

CHAPTER I 

ABUSES OF PASSES IN GENERAL 

INTEREST in the pass In question did not begin 
in the Adirondacks proper, but at a little ham- 
let of clam diggers and fishermen on the shores of 
Long Island. And it was only a paste-board 
pass after all, instead of one of mountain crags, 
overhanging cliffs and enticing valleys. That and 
these came later. 

It Is related of the late Commodore Vanderbllt, 
that he once wrote a personal letter to a Dutch 
farmer who lived up the Hudson, berating him 
for permitting so many of his sheep, swine and 
cattle being killed on the old Commodore's rail- 
road. The Dutchman had put In many and fre- 
quent claims for losses in this way and settlements 
had been more than occasional. The old farm- 
er's name had become familiar at headquarters. 

Vanderbllt wrote most as wretched a hand as 
Horace Greeley. The farmer could not decipher 
the contents of the letter. Neither could the 

13 



14 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

village postmaster or any of the loungers in the 
village store. But someone made a happy sug- 
gestion. 

"Why, van Twiller" said he, "that is a pass 
over the railroad. The old man has sent you a 
pass over the railroad because you are so well 
known at the office." 

Whereat the honest farmer rode on it the rest 
of his life; none of the conductors of the road to 
whom it was presented being able to read it. 

Such was not the abuse of an honest pass or 
guest's ticket upon an Adirondack Game Club 
preserve that John Randle, honest fisherman and 
clam digger of Long Island, received from a 
millionaire member one summer. For it was sub- 
jected to a casuistical treatment that would have 
done credit to a professor of philosophy or the 
decision of some logician presiding over some 
famous hall of learning. It would not have been 
subjected to the shameful treatment it was how- 
ever, nor the millionaire's original benevolent in- 
tentions diverted as they were, if it had not been 
that there was stopping at John's humble cottage 
at the time, a young civil engineer, with his cousin, 
a young college student and his nephew, a sturdy 
lad of fourteen. 

Fred Halstead, but a little over thirty years 
old, was a solid, substantial fellow,possessed of 



Abuses of Passes in General 15 

a merry temperament and a fondness for out 
door life emphasized by the fact that he had been 
denied much of it, by being cooped up In the 
great city of New York most of the time. A 
graduate of Harvard, he was of a fine old New 
York family. But his were like many of the old 
aristocratic families of to-day. They had flour- 
ished and shown forth In social as well as mer- 
cantile leadership of a generation passed, on a 
modest capital, the tenth of a million. Now the 
members of the family found themselves unable 
to pay even flat rent from the modest portion of 
the family fortune inherited. The traditions, the 
Instincts of refinement, the social position even, 
is handed down. But the younger set, most of 
them true to the blood of the pioneers, had to get 
out and hustle and win a place in the hive of 
social industry, in which their social circle could 
not help them in the least. 

So Halstead had made good. He had worked 
his way through college to a considerable extent, 
served on the athletic teams, the same In survey- 
ors' gangs In vacations and was now head of an 
engineering force on the New York Central lines. 
For months he had been readjusting the levels 
in the tunnels under Park Avenue. To escape 
the terrific heat of the summer that had just 
come on, he had obtained a three weeks' vacation 



1 6 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

for himself and his cousin, Earl Baxter, who was 
spending his vacation as a rodman in the survey- 
ing work. As affording a retreat easy of access 
and not as expensive as the popular and fashion- 
able resorts, they had selected the quiet cove by 
John's place. They put up at his cottage, sharing 
the rooms, the meals and even some of his work, 
all as a part of their play, affording as it all did, a 
welcome change. Out of love for a widowed 
sister and fondness for the boy, Halstead had 
taken the orphaned lad before mentioned, along. 
They went fishing with John in his cat-boat and 
dug clams in the sand; went bathing in the surf 
and were lazily enjoying themselves until the 
pass in question came one day, in the afternoon 
mail. It at once sent Halstead to instant and 
frantic planning. 

The bit of tinted paste-board had been sent to 
John by a New York broker, for whom he had 
done a slight service the year before, when the 
rich man's yacht had been anchored off the coast 
for a few days. John had sold the steward 
some clams and met the millionaire owner several 
times. He had promised John that he would 
hear from him sometime and that he would send 
him a present. The promise had been fulfilled 
now. In shape of a guest's ticket or pass upon one 
of the richest and most extensive private game 



Abuses of Passes in General 17 

preserves in the Empire state. Probably the 
broker had no idea it would ever be used. The 
preserve was a couple of hundred miles away. 
John was one of those typical Long Island clam 
diggers and fishermen. A native, habituated to 
his neighborhood, never straying far from its en- 
virons. Quite likely the broker had been making 
out a pass for some bosom friend. Something 
happened to bring John to his mind. In a jocular 
mood he had made one out for the honest Long 
Island fisherman, chuckling to himself as he 
thought of the contrast between the treeless tract 
of John's abode by the ocean, and the mighty 
forests of the mountains on the preserve. It 
would let John know that he had not been forget- 
ten, the pass would never be used, and no harm 
done, possibly some good, as John's heart was 
warmed by the remembrance. 

Not so with Halstead and his cousin the 
rodman. His own position as a rodman himself 
in his student days, had taken him far and near. 
His acquaintance with the employment by a large 
lumber company some years before, had taken him 
pretty well over the wilderness of the Adiron- 
dacks. Moreover he had worked through this 
identical preserve when he was a rodman; he was 
familiar with its streams, lakes, trails and lodges, 
together with the excellent fishing and hunting 



1 8 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

the region afforded. True, the surveying gang 
had not been permitted to wet a line or pull the 
trigger of a fowling piece or rifle, so closely had 
they been watched by the Club game keepers. The 
opportunity to pass to its enchanted realms by 
means of John's pass was not to be lost, if he could 
but arrange it. He had never possessed the 
$5000 necessary to become a member of the Club 
and probably never would. Here was his chance, 
here was his opportunity. Besides he was not too 
old to still have a spirit of fun and adventure such 
as using John's ticket for a trip to the mountains 
afforded. And to the college spirit for a lark, 
his cousin Earl only egged him on, while the Kid 
said a figurative amen to the very suggestion. 

The possibility of "borrowing" the pass was 
broached to John. He was nothing loath to part 
with it for a modest consideration, providing if it 
was used as proposed, none of the members of 
the party were to do anything to bring disgrace 
upon John. The Kid would have to obey his 
uncle anyway. The chief concern of John 
appeared to be that Halstead or Earl, in exuber- 
ance of spirit at being let loose in the great pre- 
serve, might feel an undue liberty in fishing or 
hunting, or a protection not at all warranted by 
the pass, and thus violate the game laws of the 
state. The year previous the game wardens had 



Abuses of Passes in General 19 

been unusually active in trailing violators on Long 
Island, and conviction of some prominent men 
had resulted. In personifying him in the Adiron- 
dacks, as it was recognized would be necessary 
for someone to do, John wanted no risks taken, 
for the sake of his own skin. Upon being re- 
assured by Halstead however, that all would keep 
well within the letter of the game laws of the 
state, the precious pass passed hands and the 
merry party began at once to make preparations 
to leave the very next day. 

The railroad would take them to within twenty- 
five miles of the preserve and within about thirty 
miles of a Hatchery, a sort of Forest Lodge and 
fish culture plant combined, in the midst of the 
very best fishing of the tract. With the train 
decided upon, the exciting task of preparation 
was begun. The heavy rods and gaff hooks for 
deep sea fishing were packed away and the lighter 
rods and landing nets for trout fishing were 
brought out and overhauled. Finely braided, 
oiled silk lines were wound and rewound on 
Shakespeare and other reels. 

Single and double snell hooks were being care- 
fully assorted when John mildly suggested that 
"them silk stocking sports" he understood, were 
never much on bait fishing in fresh water, their 
speciality being assortments of highly colored and 



20 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

highly priced flies. At this Halstead explained 
with a snort of disgust, that that would do very 
well on Long Island and other near by places. 
But that in the great Adirondack wilderness he 
was going to make no such concessions to artificial 
sport. They were going back to nature and bait 
fishing was natural and within the law, and he 
was going to take trout there in the good old 
fashioned way, with worms. Whereupon John 
remarked that it would be difficult to get worms in 
the poor soil of the mountains. To this wise obser- 
vation Halstead acceded with gratitude, and the 
Kid was despatched to the garden at once, with 
a lantern and a pail, with instructions to pick up 
all the night crawlers possible until bedtime. If 
sufficient had not been secured by then, his bed- 
time might be mercifully extended for once. 

With packbaskets carefully filled with provi- 
sions, rods tied together, fish-baskets packed with 
odds and ends like socks, towels and soap and 
other trifles, the Kid and his pail of worms were 
thought of. The faithful youngster had stuck 
to his job for an hour and more. Investigation 
found that he had secured nearly three quarts of 
squirming anglers; but the six quart pail, full, 
Halstead declared would be none too many. So 
all turned to and helped until it was a solid mass 
of wrigglers. Carefully covered with a couple of 



Abuses of Passes in General 21 

inches of grass and earth and a piece of burlap 
securely tied over it, it was deposited with the 
baskets and rods. Earl insisted on taking his 
camera. Halstead had demurred at this as tak- 
ing up too much room and being a bother. But 
the Kid voiced his sentiments with Earl, so finally 
a place was found for it in one of the fish baskets. 
A most happy circumstance, as after events 
proved. It was a happy trio that finally retired, 
near to midnight, their subconscious minds 
charged with the obligation to rise before dawn, 
for a hasty breakfast and an early train. 

True to the psychic element that in primitive 
man would have made alarm clocks useless if they 
had been known, all were up betimes, break- 
fasting on John's ample meal of smelts, fried 
potatoes, coffee and warm biscuits. 

"Here's to the speckled beauties of the North 
Woods" said Halstead, as he seized a good sized 
smelt by the head and tail and began eating away 
its fat sides exactly as a hungry fisherman does 
everywhere. 

"Yes" answered John as he refilled Halstead's 
coffee cup for him; "That is when you get'em. 
Though you ought to with them worms. But 
mind now, you don't be catching any trout under 
sized, I tell you". 

"Oh, don't worry about that John" said Hal- 



2 2 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

stead between bites, "we won't catch any on the 
preserve but what are legal size all right enough; 
never fear about that." 

"Yes", chimed in the Kid, "and some of my 
worms are mor'n six inches long, theirselves". 

"And if any are sixteen inches" said Earl, "we 
will take a picture of them for your especial bene- 
fit, John, before we eat them". 

"All right" assented John, "only don't be doing 
nothing that will reflect on me. For I don't want 
to get in bad with that there millionaire fellow. 
He was a good customer and might come around 
again, one of these days". This possible offense 
to his passing rich acquaintance seemed to concern 
John more than the possibility of his immediate 
friends getting into the meshes of the law on their 
own account. 

Pausing in the great, broiling city of New York 
only long enough to make a few purchases of 
necessary things to complete their outfitting, they 
hurried to the Grand Central station and took 
their train. The railroad trip, with but one ex- 
change, took them to X station where they were 
to secure a conveyance, was made in six hours. 
Arrived at the little hamlet of station, tavern, 
store, livery and not above half a dozen dwellings, 
Halstead was surprised to find that the enterpris- 
ing stage driver and owner of the job of trans- 



Abuses of Passes in General 23 

porting the United States mall from the station 
to the village, a couple of miles away, was the 
owner of an automobile. Ascertaining that the 
road to Mink lake where they were to go onto 
the preserve, had been made passable for a car, 
that the owner of the car in question was willing 
to take them in for ten dollars, and knowing the 
charge for a team and buckboard at the livery, 
would be six or eight dollars, he speedily hired 
the car. Earl was quietly jubilant, while the Kid 
scarcely suppressed a hurrah. 

During the trip on the train It had been agreed 
that Halstead, who was familiar with the country, 
the Club and Its rules, as well as being the oldest 
and most respectable appearing of the party, 
should pass as John Randle named on their pass. 
Earl, out of consideration of the Club rules that 
a guest could not take another person on the 
preserve as his guest, was to pass as a general 
utility man, recently from Germany. All three 
being familiar with German according to their 
years, they thought this would do to work off In an 
emergency. Out of consideration of the tender 
years of the Kid (and there being no necessity) 
Innocent deceit on his part or In his behalf was 
not planned for. 

Born of experience and observation in his pre- 
vious years in surveying In the Adirondacks, Hal- 



24 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

stead carefully concealed from the rustic owner of 
the automobile that their destination was to be 
the preserve. He well knew that he would have 
been instantly taken for a millionaire and charged 
accordingly. To avoid this possible disgrace 
and embarrassment, and to escape the honor of 
being heavily charged for any possible accommoda- 
tion, he had casually mentioned something about 
going in to see the fire warden at Mink lake and 
do a little fishing on the state lands. Proceeding 
along this line, one of his yellow back bills was 
soon nestling in the wallet of the native owner 
of the only automobile of the country 'round, and 
it was at his service forthwith; or as soon as the 
honest granger could get out his team and the 
old stage for the regular but lazy traffic between 
the station and the village and secure someone to 
take charge of the government affairs during his 
absence. 

The bargain and contract being placed, how- 
ever, both Halstead and Earl assumed their roles, 
and in a manner calculated to impress the natives. 
This was done by Halstead announcing to the 
landlord of the tavern that he was on the way to 
the Club preserve, throwing a dollar on the bar to 
treat the house, telling Earl to hustle out and 
buy some fresh eggs and giving the Kid a quarter 
to spend. The loungers who had been scattered 



Abuses of Passes in General 25 

along the veranda at once arose as one body and 
made their way to the bar to accept his invitation. 
He went into the one telephone booth in the 
office, thoughtfully leaving the door open and 
getting one of the Club houses enquired about the 
Hatchery, the trails, boats and kindred subjects. 
He knew all about these things fairly well, but did 
not begrudge the fifteen cents for the fun he was 
getting by the impression he was making on the 
natives by the maneuver. 

The magic effect of his casual words and simple 
actions were to be seen in many ways. The stage 
driver had muttered under his breath *'Club 
people, eh?" but immediately swallowed his wrath 
and was now swallowing ale to the health of his 
patron. The landlord hurried and put a clean 
towel on the roller over the primitive wash-stand, 
while the Kid was eyed with increased interest 
and curiosity by a group of barefooted urchins, 
who were squeezing mud through their toes as 
they stood around the watering trough. Earl 
taking his cue, impressed upon the storekeeper that 
his master, the millionaire Club member was very 
particular about his eggs, especially how they 
were packed, and speedily returned to the tavern 
with them securely put up in a small and compact 
package that would just slip into a pack-basket. 

During the half hour waiting for the car to be 



2 6 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

made ready, the hitherto aimless and well nigh 
shapeless loungers, moved about with erect bodies 
and alert eyes. They ventured to give the now 
venerated millionaire mild suggestions as to how 
best to get to the preserve on that particular side 
of the mountains, what trails to take around the 
lakes and what guides were available. All agreed 
that It was a hazardous undertaking, this going 
on the tract from this side. Many and various 
were the difficulties, not as yet overcome by the 
new road, to the new Club House the organization 
had erected at the end of It. No Club guide, 
Halstead was assured, knew half as much as they 
themselves how to get the strangers to the 
Hatchery, which Halstead admitted was their 
destination. In fact, their Intimate knowledge 
of the many and prodigious difficulties and hard- 
ships of the trails and carries was so very accurate, 
that Earl, unwise to the ways of the woods and 
the shrewed natives, was upset and disconcerted. 
He was so Impressed that he drew his cousin aside 
and proposed that they hire at least a couple of 
the men to act as guides; but Halstead, with a 
recklessness born of experience, only laughed it 
down. Instead of hiring any of them for guides, 
he mollified them all, and the landlord too, for 
not lingering for a meal, yet soiling his clean 
towel, by very lavishly ordering another treat 



Abuses of Passes in General 27 

all around. Most of them drank the vile whiskey 
of their old friend and neighbor, the landlord, 
while they proposed the health and luck of their 
new millionaire friend, all with plebian gusto. 
Buying a small package of sealed goods, the best 
the tavern afforded, to use themselves in case of 
emergency, and a quart of cheap tangle foot for 
treating any chance guides they might meet, they 
climbed Into the automobile and were off. 



CHAPTER II 

ADIRONDACK ROADS, OLD AND NEW 

HALSTEAD who had gone Into the woods on 
this route several times, surveying, contrast- 
ed with pleasing mood, the trip on this occasion, 
with his last one some years before. Then the road 
was really and truly a wilderness one. Swamps 
were crossed over bumping corduroy; the hills 
were long stretches of mealy sand, where all had 
to get out and walk. Even then the horses had 
to be given a rest of a minute or two half way 
up or at the top, sometimes both, to get their 
wind. Where there was not sinking, yielding 
sand or the uneven corduroy, there were ^'pebbles" 
in plenty, ranging in size from a merry widow 
hat to a steamer trunk. Or there would be 
great sloughs of despond through which the 
horses wallowed with difficulty. The wheels of 
the buck-board would then sink so far in the 
mud, that occasionally, as a wheel struck a hidden 
reef and the vehicle given a hard jounce, the 
downward spring of the flexible board of the buck- 
board would slap the mud so hard that great 
splashes of mother earth in partial solution, would 

28 



Adirondack Roads, Old and New 29 

fly high and spatter the helpless but patient 
passengers. 

It is related that in the good old days of toting 
freight in a lumber wagon over one of these roads 
in the Adirondacks, a driver paused with his team 
for a brief rest, on the edge of one of these 
mellow stretches. As he was lighting his pipe, 
he espied a strap lying on the surface of the mud. 
Thinking it might come handy to rvspair a possible 
break in his outfit sometime, he went to pick it 
up. Whereupon he found it was the end of a 
line to the harnesses of another tote team, which, 
with the wagon and driver had sunk below the 
surface of this highway of the Empire state. It 
is further related how this ingenious woodsman 
set about to rescue team and perishing driver, 
which he did with complete success, and in a very 
simple way. The road where the catastrophe 
occurred was on the side of a mountain. There 
were several sticks of dynamite in his own load. 
Securing a couple he quickly blew out the lower 
bank of the roadway, whereat the mud and water 
were quickly drained and the semi-drowned team 
and driver were liberated just in the nick of time, 
for they had nearly suffocated. 

Now things had changed and conditions were 
improved. The Club people in their honest zeal 
to promote the public welfare and at the same 



30 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

time facilitate access to a remote part of their 
preserve for their members, had sicked the politi- 
cians onto the good roads appropriation for that 
neck of the woods, with a vim. What greater 
good than to open up the wilderness to the public 
in general and their private preserve as well? So 
a hundred thousand dollars had been secured and 
expended. The road too had been built by the 
practical men of the woods under the kindly eye 
and oversight of outside officials. Who knew 
better than the former, the following of trails, the 
crossing of mountains and the circumventing of 
swamps? It is true that the gravel put on the 
new road was local and localized for the thirty- 
five miles of its existence as evidenced by the 
borrow pits they now whizzed past every little 
ways. The ends of much old and new corduroy 
were sticking out at the sides of the filling in the 
swamps. In a few years it would all be rotted 
away, and the swamps as bad as ever. The hills 
it was true, were now firm with the loamy gravel 
or gravelly loam drawn from the borrow pits. 
They were provided with no proper drainage and 
would probably wash out nicely with a couple of 
seasons' rain. 

Halstead noted all these things with the trained 
eye of an,expert; but he was gratified nevertheless, 
because the trip was made in less than two hours, 



Adirondack Roads, Old and New 31 

whereas it formerly took nearly a day. So It 
was with blasts from the horn of their automobile 
and a united hurrah and a rattling of the planks 
on the bridge over the outlet of the lake that they 
arrived, with a rush and a cloud of dust, at the 
fire warden's house, their destination for the day. 

Seth Egan, the official, gave the party a hearty 
welcome, and the information that theirs was the 
first automobile to come in and stop at his place. 
For although the Club cars ran almost daily, and 
some ten miles farther, to their new Club House at 
the end of the road, they did not stop at his 
abode. To use his own quaint expression they 
did not even "hesitate, but get by like a streak uv 
greased lighting". Automobiles had not yet be- 
come extensively popular even outside; so It was 
not to be wondered at that none were owned by 
the few woodsmen and trappers who still lingered 
In that part of the wilderness, in spite of the fact 
that the lumber crop had been harvested. As 
Halstead and his party of surveyors had boarded 
with Seth for awhile when they were working In 
these parts, he and his two companions were now 
most cordially welcomed by Mrs. Egan as well as 
Seth. 

An Interesting character was Seth Egan, as 
well as was the little hamlet at the foot of the 
lake. This section of the woods was a part of 



32 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

the town of W. . . .. The densest part of the 
population of the town was "acrosst the holler" 
on the south side of the mountain range. Alto- 
gether the entire town had a total of one hundred 
and seven inhabitants. Naturally the population 
at the foot of the lake where our friends were 
now stopped, was not very numerous. It bore the 
classic name of Clay and its total of inhabitants 
were eleven. Seven in Seth's family, one hermit, 
two trappers and the school teacher. For Clay 
was a school district and the Egan children suffi- 
cient in number to command public money. Seth 
was fire warden and keeper of two or three 
storage reservoirs for providing water for the 
canals. They had been projected away back in 
the times when Dewitt Clinton was projecting his 
ditch, the pioneer of the present canal system of 
New York State. It is said that the now famous 
Fulton Chain of lakes in the Adirondacks were 
included in the original survey and that Robert 
Fulton the steamboat man was the surveyor, and 
gave them his name. The upkeep of all state 
reservoirs has always been religiously maintained 
since their inception, whether their waters are 
used or not. And in case of the ones in the town 
Seth watched over, they were carefully repaired 
and re-repaired, and the keeper was always a 
power among the forty or so voters in the town. 



Adirondack Roads, Old and New 33 

Seth was a type of the average back-woodsman, 
with a native keenness and Intelligence, that coupl- 
ed with a hearty and jovial manner made him a 
pleasant personality. The recluse of the hamlet 
was a Justice of the Peace. Only for the fact 
that there was no regular mall service requiring 
a post office, and that the constables lived over the 
mountains and across the "holler" the two 
woodsmen-trappers might have completed the 
cycle of office holding among the male population 
of Clay. 

Nestling In a small clearing at the foot of the 
beautiful lake, this hamlet of three houses and a 
barn was the last outpost of the real and great 
public our friends were to see for a fortnight. 
Next day they were to plunge Into the enchanted 
realm of the private wilderness of a private club. 
That night as the Kid nestled In a great feather 
bed, with Earl, and listened to the hoot of an 
owl, he shivered and wished he was back on Long 
Island again; and resolved. to dissuade his uncle 
from the trip In the morning. But to Earl, as 
he listened to the muffled roar of water at the 
distant spillway, and heard the dull but pleasing 
tinkle of the cow-bell on Egan's brindle mooly as 
she browsed at the edge of the clearing, there 
was only contentment. He was glad to be away 
from the distracting roar of the trains In the 



34 The Story of a Pass in the Adlrondacks 

tunnel, and he was satisfied to know that he was 
to shoulder a pack-basket the next few days, in- 
stead of a surveyor's rod and instruments. 

With his worm gathering and general excite- 
ment of anticipation, the Kid had had but a few 
hours of sleep the previous night. A deadlike 
sleep of over nine hours in Mrs. Egan's comfort- 
able bed restored his spirits as well as the elasti- 
city of youth and spirits. He was up with the 
grey dawn of morning to see, explore and pre- 
pare. His uncle and Earl were up before him, 
however. He soon espied them fishing in the 
lake from the shore, his uncle standing on a rock 
that jutted out into the lake. Earl from his place 
was casting many yards of line out onto the black 
waters, with the pail of worms between his feet. 
The string around the burlap cover had been 
loosened and the burlap raised just enough to 
admit of getting "only a couple" for their morn- 
ing's try. 

With a mighty whoop the Kid was by them in 
the twinkling of an eye; at that moment his uncle 
struck a handsome twelve inch speckled beauty, 
and with a dextrous, comprehensive sweep of 
the rod, he had him flopping on the grass, several 
feet from the shore. With another yell, the Kid 
pounced upon him and had him in his uncle's fish 
basket that was by the rock, in a jiffy. He even 



Adirondack Roads, Old and New 35 

sat on the basket after he had thus captured him, 
so great was his zeal and enthusiasm aroused. 

"I see you ain't like them silk stocking sports" 
said Seth, who had strolled down to the lake and 
had observed the capture of the trout. "They 
always play'em some and then scoop'em up In a 
net" he explained. 

"Well, no" answered Halstead, as he pushed 
the Kid off the basket and took just a peek at his 
prize. "There are several reasons why I do not 
care to play a trout, unless I have caught It In a 
place where It Is Inconvenient to land It quickly. 
One Is that I belong to a society for the prevention 
of cruelty to animals. Then again, when I go 
fishing, I do so for the fish first, and the sport 
afterwards, or secondary". 

"There now." ejaculated Seth with energy. 
"That there last remark of your'n Is just the hul 
thing. That's just what I told Barb last year 
when him and I went fishing over to Sand lake for 
black bass. J. M. Barber, you know. He's one 
of the trustees over to the new Club House they've 
built over to Conschocto lake. I call him Barb. 
He came down and wanted I should take him 
over to Sand lake to go fishing for black bass. 
So I went. He's a pretty decent kind of a sport, 
and he said he would let me fish too". 

"Well what about It" asked Halstead. He saw 



36 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

Seth was aching to tell of the adventure, and he 
was willing, even anxious for him to, for the 
benefit of his nephew and cousin". 

"Well", continued Seth, thus encouraged. 
"When we got over there, I got the boat out from 
the shore bushes where I had hid it last time, and 
made an anchor ready, and he got his rods fixed 
up. He gave me one to fish with, when I had 
paddled him out to the best place. It was a nice 
rod; but my: the line was a mighty fine one; about 
as fine as a hair from a horse tail. And the reel: 
say, that there reel was set on a hair trigger or 
something or other. If you didn't touch it just 
right, you couldn't do nothing with it; and if you 
did, it would sort of back fire, quick'ern blazes, 
and pull the bait right out of a bass's mouth. 
Anyhow, I couldn't get a blamed one, and Barb, 
he lost half of his'n. Why when we quit along 
about noon and went up to Joe Sewal's place for 
dinner, he didn't have but seven. Well: I 
made up my mind that if I was going to do any 
fishing that was worth anything in the afternoon, 
I'd got to have some different kind of a rigging 
of some kind. So I asked Joe if he had any 
fishing tackle; and I declare, he a'most didn't 
have any. Since the Club closed the lake and 
made the rule that none of their hired men can 
fish, why Joe didn't dare have any fishing outfit 



Adirondack Roads, Old and New 37 

In sight. But he did have an old piece of chalk- 
line and some good sized hooks. He gave me 
them on the quiet, and I went back In the timber 
and cut me a good ash pole and fixed up a rigging 
that I knew would get bass. Then while Barb 
was a sitting on the stoop of Joe's place a smoking 
his cigar, I just sneaked down to the landing and 
put the outfit in the bottom of the boat. I just 
wanted to give Barb a surprise." 

"Well: When Barb got done smoking his 
cigar and had loaded up his pipe we went down 
and I paddled him over to the best place for bass 
on the lake for that time of day, and let down the 
rock so It would anchor the boat so that the sun 
would shine right In his face. I was afraid he'd 
tell me to turn the boat. But he didn't. He done 
just what I wanted him to do, and turned himself 
around In the boat, so his back was to me. Then 
I sneaked out my old ash pole, chalkline and all. 
I baited up careful with a couple of the biggest 
angle worms I had In the lot I had dug out by 
Joe's manure pile, and then I threw out careful 
so as not to disturb Barb." 

"Well sir! it wan't more'n half a minute before 
I hooked onto an old sock-dodger, and I had 
him in the boat in no time at all; and the next one 
which I got In less than another minute, I got 
Into the boat In less time than I did the first one. 



38 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

I got four, before Barb really knew what was up. 
Then he sort of squirmed around in his seat and 
said, kind'er protesting like, 'why, why, Seth, that 
aint the way to catch'em, you want to play'em'. 

" 'Hu: play'em be blowed, I said to him. I'm 
fishing for fish I be.' And do you know, Mr. 
Halstead, I had most half a bushel before we quit. 
And Barb, he only got six more with his fancy 
rigging." 

*'But didn't he stop you catching them in that 
unscientific manner?" asked Earl. 

*'Well no, he didn't said Seth. "He seemed 
real annoyed at the way I kept hauling of'em in, 
at first; but he didn't say nothing after awhile. I 
noticed too, he was perfectly willing to fill his 
basket chuck full with the ones I had ketched; and 
then too, he was real good and generous and let 
me have the rest of'em for the old woman, as a 
present from him". 

"As a present from him?" exclaimed the guile- 
less Earl. "Why : did you not catch them all your- 
self ?" he asked innocently. 

"Certainly I did" answered Seth. "But you 
see, son", he explained, "when you work for 
another fellow like that, all you ketch belongs to 
him. I was a working for him that day, and so 
all the bass I got belonged to him". 

"Oh: I see" said Earl, a new light beginning 



Adirondack Roads, Old and New 39 

to dawn on him, as to the woods and woods 
customs. "But do they claim they caught them 
too?" he asked, seeking more light on this interest- 
ing aspect of the life new to him. 

"Well, as to that, I can't just exactly say," 
answered Seth. "But I do know that when a 
couple of the silk stocking sports came along last 
week from fishing the Stillwater down on the river, 
and hadn't caught nothing to speak of with their 
fancy rods and flies and all that, they bought a 
tin pail off from me, that had about eight pounds 
of trout in, my oldest boy had caught that same 
day, right on the Stillwater too." 

"Bought the pail:" exclaimed Earl, again in 
the dark. "What did they do that for? Why 
did they buy the pail and not buy the trout?" 

An expression of profound disgust and pity 
for the ignorance of Earl, as revealed by the 
question, overspread Seth's honest face, as he 
answered, "Oh, they took the trout along with'em 
all right". 

"But what did you let them do that for," spoke 
up the Kid, who for the first time now, took part 
in the conversation, although he had been a most 
interested listener. "What did you let them take 
the trout for, if they only bought the pail?" 

"Why sonny", answered Seth, turning an appre- 
ciative and kindly face to the lad, whose youth 



40 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

would excuse his innocence, "you see the law 
don't allow us to sell no kind of game at all, any- 
time. So in the case of trout like that, we just 
sell the pail and throw the trout in". 

"Oh, I see" spoke up Halstead. "But how 
much did you get for the pail if I may ask", for 
he was keen to ascertain a further illustration of 
this kind of back-woods business instinct. 

"Well:" said Seth, slowly, as he puffed at his 
pipe in a meditative way, "the market price for 
Canadian trout shipped into the New York mar- 
ket, is fifty cents a pound. And as there was 
about eight pounds of trout, as I say, in that 
there pail, and all of 'em of legal size, why we 
calculated that five dollars was about the right 
price for the pail, here in the woods. For it 
costs something to get supplies like that, in, you 
know". 

With a hearty and appreciative laugh all 
around at this example of back-woods business 
acumen and native casuistry, the party retired to 
the house for breakfast, to which Seth had pur- 
posed to summon them, when he joined them. 



CHAPTER III 



BREAK o'dAY IN THE MOUNTAINS 



THROUGH the open door of Seth's house a most 
inspiring picture was presented to the pleas- 
ing contemplation of the members of the party, 
as they ate their breakfast. The table placed 
against the farthest wall of the long kitchen, gave 
them just the proper perspective through the 
casement of the door and presented the charming 
scene to them in a most attractive manner. 

The mist, which had been rising from the 
warm surface of the lake since dawn, was now 
rolling back up the valley like a great snowy cur- 
tain, revealing the graceful mountain tops, one 
after another, in all the loveliness of their fleecy 
green. At the very head of the lake and valley, 
somis seven miles away, was a grand mountain 
called Ice Cave, purple from its distance and 
height, while the "green" or soft timber on it that 
was Intermingled with the hard woods, could be 
easily distinguished. The clouds of mist seemed 
to linger around Its summit like a halo of glory. 
The sun, about to push Itself above the top of 
a mountain off to the right, set the top to glowing 

41 



42 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

with a fierce fire that might almost have challenged 
the divine fire of Sinai, at the giving of the law; 
while the mountains along the western side of the 
lake, in their reflected glory, might well have 
reminded one of the time Joshua, when the sun 
stood still over the mountain of Gibeon. 

For a few brief moments, a streak of dark 
yellow, like a huge golden bar, stretched across 
the lake. The sun, having pushed its great, 
dazzling orb well above the mountain tops, the 
little paradise took on Its wonted midsummer 
appearance of blue sky, limpid blue water, hazy 
mountains of mottled green and a celestial calm 
that was positive. They were all enraptured, even 
the Kid calling attention to the enchanting scene. 

But while it was fascinating and appealing to 
their esthetic natures, the material called for their 
attention, and they did not neglect It. They fell 
to on the substantial breakfast Mrs. Egan had 
set before them. Trout from a catch of one of 
the Egan boys, the day before, delicious bacon, 
rich coffee with cream, hard yellow butter from 
the spring, and johnny cake were the principal 
viands of the simple meal. 

"Food fit for a king" exclaimed Earl as he 
buttered liberally, a piece of the yellow bread. 

"Yes, but why didn't you have Mrs. Egan 
cook the big trout we caught, Uncle"? asked the 




*'5 



CO 

O 



C/2 

H 



Break O'Day in the Mountains 43 

Kid as he helped himself to a modest eight inch 
one, well and properly cooked in hot bacon grease, 
so that it was as stiff as a file, yet tender and 
pink as he broke the meat apart with his fork. 

"We caught, I should say" exclaimed Earl who 
liked to banter and tease the Kid. "I suppose 
you would say 'we' over that big fellow I got 
just before you came down". 

"Nope, I wouldn't" said the Kid. "But didn't 
I help land the big one Uncle caught?" he 
demanded. 

"Land it? Well I should say your uncle land- 
ed It safe and sound, in the good old Seth Egan 
style too" answered Earl." 

"Well, I got it in the basket anyway"- retorted 
the Kid in a rather aggrieved tone. 

"Elere now, there is no use quarreling about it, 
I say" spoke up Halstead good naturedly. "We 
will have enough of that before the trip Is over 
anyway" he added sagely and with wisdom born 
of a good many camping trips. 

"Well we are not quarreling about it Uncle" 
argued the Kid. "But just tell us why you didn't 
have Mrs. Egan cook the big trout we caught this 
morning". 

With a laugh at his sticking to the pronoun 
"we", Halstead explained that a freshly caught 
trout did not cook near so well as when it had been 



44 The Story of a Pass in the Adlrondacks 

dressed and a bit of salt rubbed on it, and allowed 
to lie for a few hours. In case of very large 
trout, tiny strips of salt pork or bacon placed 
inside and then allowed to stand a few hours he 
recommended as further improvit;g their delicious- 
ness. We do read so much in books about the 
surpassing delicacy of trout cooked immediately 
after they are caught, over some hasty fire on 
the bank of the stream from which they were 
lured. Undoubtedly it is the intense hunger en- 
gendered by the open air exercise and a long fast 
that supplies the basis of this fallacy. It is related 
of an Episcopal bishop who had a somewhat ex- 
tensive work among the Indians in his diocese, of 
how he would declare, dogmatically, that the 
white sisters' cooking of fish could not begin to 
compare to the cooking of fish by the red sister. 
As the old man advanced in years he rang the 
changes on this declaration so much that it got to 
be a joke among the clergy. The fact of the 
matter was, that frequently, when he was regaled 
with a fish dinner by his white women, he had 
spent a couple of hours in a hot and illy ventilated 
church. But when he sat down to a fish dinner 
cooked by the Indian women it was after a sixty 
mile ride in a springless wagon, over the none too 
nicely turnpiked roads of the plains. The fact 
is that trout cooked immediately after they are 



Break O'Day in the Mountains 45 

caught, will curl up so In the process, that it Is 
impossible to keep them even on the bottom of 
the frying pan, and they cannot be cooked to a 
delicious brown crustiness. Treated as Halstead 
explained to the boys, added to which might be 
recommended rolling them in corn meal or flour 
before cooking, and served hot and sizzling, even 
on a piece of bark, and no fish cooked and served 
at Delmonlco's can even approach it. The sports- 
man's books that speak of the delicacy of trout 
cooked about as soon as they have stopped wig- 
gling, were written, it can be depended on, by 
men who were never far from Broadway or Fifth 
Avenue. But kept for a few hours, cleaned and 
wiped dry with a clean cloth or leaves or ferns, 
If a cloth is not to be had, treated as described, 
and eventually cooked for the members of a fish- 
ing party, and, Ah, it is Impossible to des- 
cribe it, so why try. A fork thrust into a trout 
cooked thusly, and lifted upon one's plate, (it may 
be of bark or a big chip) will keep its inflexible 
state so firmly that a novice will think it has been 
ruined by being burnt to a crisp. But as the en- 
crusted sides are broken open, the delicious pink 
meat will be revealed and prove to be tender, 
sweet and juicy, fit food for gods. But enough. 
We would also mention here, a disappointing fea- 
ture of very large trout caught in the still waters 



46 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

of lake or pond, early in the season. They are 
loggish and put up but very little fight. Their flesh, 
on cooking and eating, often tastes the same. In 
fact a woody flavor is very often pronounced. 
This can be overcome by soaking the big fellows 
in a solution of saleratus water a few hours. 

After breakfast, Halstead leisurely seated him- 
self on the porch of the Egan home and filled his 
pipe for a smoke and a talk with the game-warden, 
of the plans and prospects for the proposed trip, 
from there, on. The Kid was anxious to start at 
once to "the land of promise" where he could try 
the new steel rod his uncle had bought him as 
they passed through New York the day before. 
The Hatchery whither they were going, as Hal- 
stead remembered it, was close to an ideal trout 
brook, alive with fish. As he had selected the 
rod he had remarked to his nephew that its length 
or shortness (whichever one pleases) made it well 
adapted to this particular stream. This had 
become fixed in the lad's mind and was uppermost 
in the anticipatory section of his brain just now, 
as he observed with dismay, his uncle deliberately 
seat himself in one of Seth's homemade splint bot- 
tom chairs, tilt back comfortably against the side 
of the house and light his pipe. 

"I say Uncle, when are we going to start? Are 
we going to stay here long? What are we loaf- 



Break O'Day in the Mountains 47 

Ing around here for anyway? Say Uncle, how 
far is it to the Hatchery? Is that creek you spoke 
of far from the Hatchery? Will we get there 
by noon if we start soon?" 

These and numerous similar questions were 
interjected into the conversation of Halstead and 
Seth, by the impatient boy. Finally Halstead 
gave him a sharp though not unkind attention by 
exclaiming : 

''Now see here, Kid, you keep still for 
awhile ! We have come to the woods for a rest 
and a good time, and we are not going to have 
it by hurrying around as if the very Old Nick him- 
self was after us, like people do in New York. 
If he keeps on he will be as bad as Judge Clare 
who used to go in to Ox Bow with us" he 
observed, addressing Earl who, although he had 
considerable of the impatience of a novice, was 
suppressing it very well, all things considered. 

"How was that," asked Earl in a respectful 
manner. 

"Well" said Halstead, refilling his pipe, "as you 
might unconsciously develop the germ, and as the 
Kid here seems to already show symptoms of it, I 
will tell you all about it as a solemn warning to 
both of you". 

As Earl's sole personal knowledge of the Judge 
mentioned was of a very dignified and somewhat 



48 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

portly gentleman who had addressed his class In 
college one time, he was a bit amazed. He had a 
profound respect for the Judge and his Honor 
stood high in the "speech of the people" in the 
metropolis. That the good man possessed any 
bad habits that cropped out in the woods was a 
shock to him. But as he had understood that 
some people hied themselves to the woods to in- 
dulge in things they would not in the cities, he 
gave anxious heed to his cousin as he cleared his 
throat and began the tale. 

"Yes," said Halstead, with a sigh, "The Judge 
had just one bad habit that made him a positive 
nuisance to us as we came in, a useless member 
of the party on our arrival, and unfit for any help 
to us for days after we got into camp. At one 
time, or on one occasion rather, it came very near 
causing the Judge to lose his really valuable life, 
right here in the woods". 

At this recital of near scandal and tragedy, 
Earl gave a gasp, the Kid uttered a low whistle 
and even old Seth, accustomed as he was occasion- 
ally, to seeing city people at their worst as well 
as at their best, in the woods, leaned over to listen 
most attentively to Halstead's revelations. 

"To get in to Ox Bow" explained Halstead, "we 
had to drive about twenty miles over the most 
wretched streak of earth ever called a road. We 



Break O'Day in the Mountains 49 

took the train that arrived at station at one 

in the morning and always had a team to meet 
us, so that we would start at once. We would get 
to the lake about daylight. The Judge always 
took the middle of the middle seat of the buck- 
board and never budged during the whole trip. He 
would stick to his nice, easy and springy seat, over 
the vilest parts of the road, when the rest of us 
would get out and walk out of respect to our- 
selves, If not deference to the team. But when 
we got to the two mile board, the judge would 
begin to get uneasy. He would squirm about In 
the dim light of the breaking day, feel In his 
pockets, and fumble and grunt to himself. By 
the time we got to the one mile board, we could 
see that he was jointing up his rod, and the rest 
of the way we could feel he was getting ready to 
fish If we could not see him; for we would get a 
jab in the back or a slash on the face, as he swung 
his rod around, running the line through the 
guides. When we got to the lake and drove down 
to the landing, he would get out with a grunt and 
go off at once to his favorite holes to try his luck. 
We might give all kinds of hints about needing his 
help, or speculate out loud, as to how many trips 
we would have to make In the one boat at our 
disposal, to get our duffle over to camp, which 
was across the lake. We would even offer him. 



50 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

formally, the honor of getting the first breakfast 
for the crowd. But It was of no use. He was 
oblivious to all demands for common courtesy and 
concerted action In getting to camp and getting 
settled. He just fished and fished, until we shot 
off guns and revolvers, and halloed until we were 
hoarse, for him to come to breakfast." 

"Once we thought we would put up a job on 
him and teach him a lesson. We took all the boats 
there were at the landing, (there happened to be 
two or three) over to our side, so he would be 
obliged to walk around the lake to get to camp. 
But It did not make a bit of difference. Not to 
him. He just walked around the two miles, stop- 
ping to cast In all his pet holes, so that he was two 
hours later than usual. He was a glutton for 
fishing and was no earthly use around camp for 
the first two or three days, or until he had satiated 
his mania for the sport." 

"But what about his most losing his life In the 
woods?" asked the Kid anxiously, disappointed 
that the relating of the foregoing had not reached 
a tragedy." 

"That? Oh, I nearly forgot that," answered 
Halstead. "But the good Judge made himself 
so obnoxious over his constant fishing, and boast- 
ing about his success, which was always good, and 
was so cold-bloodedly Indifferent to any obllga- 



Break O'Day in the Mountains 5 1 

tlons to help In the work In the camp, that we took 
him up and tried him one night, for the capital 
crime of using the last of the butter on his pan- 
cakes that morning, at breakfast, Instead of us- 
ing bacon grease like the rest of us. He was 
convicted and sentenced to be shot the next morn- 
ing at sunrise". 

''What did he do in the morning" eagerly in- 
quired the Kid, hoping to obtain some semblance 
of a crisis, approaching a tragedy. 

Halstead looked at the eager face of his nephew 
a moment; and then realizing that a boy of his 
age seems to be ever on the alert, asking questions 
like an endless chain, concluded to give him an 
answer that would hush him completely. 

"Oh, we all overslept that morning, and so had 
to postpone the execution," he said with an effort 
at finality. 

"But what did you do when the time came?" 
persisted the Kid. 

"Oh, that was next year. We postponed the 
shooting of the Judge until the next trip in," ex- 
plained Halstead, wearily. 

"Well, what did you do the next year" 

began the Kid. 

But Halstead gave a deprecating wave of his 
hand, got up and knocked the ashes out of his 
pipe and Indicated that the seance was at an end. 



52 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

Yet how emphatically true is the matter em- 
phasized and illustrated by Halstead's tale. Many 
times in camping trips, one thoughtless, selfish or 
domineering member of the party proves a posi- 
tive source of irritation to say the least. Many 
a man, a most agreeable cornpanlon in town and 
a fine chum in the social world of the city, is an 
almost intolerable pest in the woods on a camping 
trip. The writer once saw a member of a party 
he was with, during the common meal, prepared 
with the unselfish labor of those competent to 
cook, turn stealthily about in his seat and take a. 
can of evaporated cream from a beam back of 
him, and pour from it into his rich, black coffee. 
Investigation showed that the grocer, not being 
able to fill entirely the requisition for condensed 
milk as specified by the steward of the party, had 
completed it with a can or two of a better grade 
of the fluid. The individual described, had dis- 
covered it and slyly hidden the same on arrival 
in camp and was enjoying what the rest were not, 
''cream in his coffee". 

On another occasion there was included in the 
party one who had never roughed it. On appeal- 
ing to know what he could do, the first day in 
camp, he was told to get some wood for the break- 
fast In the process of cooking. The timid but 
honest creature ventured out into the brush, to 



Break O'Day in the Mountains 53 

reappear In a few moments, bearing In his dainty 
hands a few faggots or twigs. These he drop- 
ped by the stove and Immediately took out a 
dainty handkerchief, and Inquiring If there was 
anything more he could do, wiped his hands on 
the finely laundrled rag and anxiously examined 
his velvet palms for damage to their Immaculate 
condition. I think the limit of all I ever saw, was 
a numb-skull, who. In the very natural absence of 
finger bowls from the bark table, took a tin dipper 
and poured water over his precious fingers Into 
his tin coffee cup. And he had an arts degree 
too. 

Such creatures as mentioned, and similar ones, 
had best be left behind on camping trips. Their 
presence Is depressing and trying to the rest of 
the party, ready to share and share alike In any 
and everything that bobs up. Such persons are 
always In misery themselves, even though given 
many favors by their unselfish and warm hearted 
companions. They will act, when a meal Is ready, 
as though the camp was a restaurant and will 
require a good deal of waiting on, apt to complain 
at the absence of napkins and possibly ask, most 
politely, to be excused at the end of the meal. 
Then they will go out to admire the landscape, 
oblivious of the dishes to be washed, the tea kettle 
to be filled; that water must be brought from the 



54 The Story of a Pass in the Ad'irondacks 

spring and firewood obtained for the night. Worst 
of all, they will not even do for the horse play, 
jokes and banter that is occasionally indulged in, 
in camp. They will either be made ill over the 
harmless jokes of their companions, or else lose 
their tempers and consider themselves abused. 



CHAPTER IV 



PASSES AGAIN 



SETii was fairly familiar with that part of the 
ckib preserve our friends proposed to enter. 
His position as keeper of the storage reservoirs 
and as a fire warden gave him a right to go onto 
the preserve as he pleased in the way of his work 
or duty. Needless to say he exercised the right, 
not only to look after the one lake Included In his 
field, which was situated on the preserve, and for 
possible fires; but also, (though he never spoke 
of it out loud) to hunt and fish on the quiet. So 
he was able to give Halstead most of the informa- 
tion he sought, viz : That the trails from the 
head of Mink lake to Chesuncook lake, the reser- 
voir on the preserve, was well cut out and plain. 
That there were boats on the Chesuncook lake 
reservoir. Farther than that he only knew by 
hearsay, but from Club guides and others, he 
understood that all the lakes the party would 
have to cross in going to the Hatchery, were 
equipped with boats and the the trails were clear, 
or fairly well defined. 

55 



^6 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

At the same time Halstead had bought the Kid 
the rod, he had also purchased the proper sections 
of the United States Geological Survey maps. He 
believed that with the these and his knowledge of 
such parts of the preserve as he had been over a 
few years before, together with such Information 
as he could obtain at Bussby lake where there was 
one of the Club Houses, he would be able to 
get along. He did not propose to indulge in the 
luxury of a guide. Besides being rather a heavy 
expense and intruding on the delightful privacy of 
his small party, it would run the risk of their 
traveling on the pass of another, being discovered. 
He had heard of a man who was traveling to 
Chicago on the pass of a friend who was a physi- 
cian. The man had not long retired to his berth 
for the night, when the conductor of the train 
routed him out to prescribe for a sick woman in 
another car. Not wishing to give his medical 
friend (or himself) away, he decided to face the 
situation, and went forward. There he found a 
fat woman apparently in a rather weakened state, 
from nervousness and exhaustion Incidental to 
traveling. Solemnly feeling her pulse and look- 
ing wise, he asked for some whiskey. Upon a 
flask being produced (they always seem plentiful 
among travelers) he mixed a small quantity In 
a glass of water, managing to also dissolve a 



Passes Again 57 

pellet of pepermint he had in his waistcoat pocket. 
After administering a few teaspoonfuls to the 
patient, he gave orders that it be continued in 
single doses every half hour. He was just con- 
gratulating himself on his clever ruse when the 
conductor came up with another stranger. 

"Doctor" he announced cheerily, "I found an- 
other 'sawbones' on board and brought him along. 
It is just as well to be on the safe side you know". 

The man's heart sank, but he looked the new- 
comer in the* eye, who in turn looked at the pre- 
tending physician in a keen manner for an instant 
and then gave a sharp, quick glance at the ple- 
thoric patient. He also felt her pulse and his 
watch also, in a very professional way. Then 
turning he asked sharply, "What did you pre- 
scribe doctor?" The spurious one, summoning 
his meager knowledge of Latin answered, "Spiritis 
furmenti, pepperminte and aqua pura in equal 
parts, sir". 

"That is very good, she ought to be all right 
in a short time if the treatment is kept up properly. 
I must get back to my berth and get some sleep". 

With that the first one called in the case 
happy at having escaped so well, hastily sought 
his own berth. The next morning, as he was 
alighting at the Chicago station he bumped into 
the doctor he had encountered at the transient sick 



58 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

bed during the night. That individual gave a 
start, then gave a quick glance at his nocturnal 
acquaintance and drawing him aside, he said in an 
agreeable, confidential undertone, "Say, are you a 
doctor anyway?" 

Feeling sure there would be no harm done in 
the truth coming out, as the lady he had treated 
was probably alive and well, and that in all proba- 
bility he would never see the strange doctor again, 
he said in the same guarded but confidential man- 
ner, "No doctor, to tell you the truth I am not. 
I am traveling on the pass of a New York friend 
who is". 

The stranger gave a gasp of suppressed hilarity 
and a gulp of relief. Then he leaned closer and 
whispered, "Don't give it away, but I am not 
either. I am traveling on the pass of a Pittsburgh 
physician"; and he turned and disappeared in the 
throng. 

To add to the gaiety of nations. It is said that 
a newly elected Assemblyman of New York once 
sought out Dr. Depew when he was president of 
the New York Central lines, and asked for a pass. 
He explained that it woulci relieve him of much 
embarrassment. Upon being asked for an ex- 
planation, he said, "Why Mr. Depew it is this 
way. When I go up to Albany the boys chaff 
me unmercifully. I am the only one that pays my 



Passes Again 59 

fare." 

But to return to our friends at the foot of Mink 
lake. The Hatchery, the objective point, was 
thirty miles from the head of Mink lake as the 
trails ran. It was too far for the Kid to walk in 
one day. Halstead at first wished that he had 
gone in, the easier way, from the North. But 
Seth suggested a happy way out of the difficulty. 
It was twelve miles to Chesuncook lake. There 
was an old tool house there built by the state, 
many years before, to store the bars and tools for 
hoisting and lowering the gates. He had heard 
too that the Club had erected a small camp on the 
farther shore of the lake. In either case there 
was a shelter there. These first twelve miles 
were the hardest of the trip, being up hill all the 
way. They had no blankets it is true for this 
unplanned for stop; but he would lend them a 
couple of pairs which they could leave until their 
return trip, or until he could go up after them. 
This settled, they prepared to start. 

Both Earl and Halstead had pack-baskets as 
well as their fish baskets to carry. The Kid was 
bemoaning the fact that he had only a fish basket 
to carry. "Why didn't Uncle buy me a pack 
basket when he was buying my rod" he grumbled. 
But he ceased his grumbling when Seth appeared 
with the blankets stuffed into a pack bag which 



6o The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

made a bulky pack for him. They carried all 
their duffle down to Seth's old flat bottomed scow 
which the state provided. It was fifteen feet long 
and of ample beam. It looked almost like a 
harbor lighter to say nothing of Noah's ark. As 
they deposited their things along the bottom, the 
Kid was heard to mutter something about getting 
to the head of the lake before dark, to which 
kiddish grumble, Earl added his inexperienced and 
sympathetic expression of appreciation. But Hal- 
stead, with the cheery remark that they need have 
no fear of capsizing, directed Earl to make him- 
self comfortable in the seat at the bow end, and 
told the Kid to find a place between his knees on 
the seat, which was as broad as the boat proper. 
The bronzed and sinewy Seth, having removed his 
saginaw and folding it for a cushion, seated him- | 
self at the oars. Halstead gave a vigorous shove 
to the boat as he stood on the shore, leaped in 
and they were afloat and beginning another lap 
on their journey. 

With long steady strokes, Seth propelled the 
old boat along through the smooth water, while 
Halstead steered, at the same time assisting 
materially in the propulsion, with long, deft 
strokes of his paddle, in unison with Seth's strokes 
at the oars. At first both Earl and the Kid felt 
strange. They would have felt at home on the 



Passes Again 6i 

choppy sea off Long Island in John Handle's cat 
boat. But In this unfamiliar fresh water craft 
on the bosom of an Adirondack lake, surrounded 
by the nubbins of mountain tops, they felt as if 
they were in a weird atmosphere, positively out of 
place to say the least. Off shore in old John's 
sail boat, the sea might be white with foam and 
the waves piling up in great rollers; but the low 
lying shore of the solid beach was on the level 
with their noses. Here as they glided along with- 
out a ripple, and no splash save the very slight 
one made by the regular strokes of Seth's oars 
and Halstead's rhythmic time with the paddle, 
they had to tilt their noses in the air to see the 
top of the charming broken ranges of the moun- 
tains as they extended along the shore of the lake. 

The Kid regained his contentment somewhat, 
after a little and made note of the mountains and 
fell to comparing them with the mountains they 
had seen in the Catskills the previous day, as 
they rode along the Hudson river on the train. 
He finally gave vent to a contemptuous "humph" 
and said: 

"Talk about your mountains. These aren't as 
high as the Palisades; Old Crows Nest we saw 
coming up the Hudson is mor'n twice as high". 

"Yes" ventured the skeptical Earl, "you don't 
call these high do you?" 



62 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

Seth, who kept at his long, steady sweep at the 
oars, remained silent. A native of the soil, 
habitant of the mountains, he of right might 
have been expected to answer these youthful crit- 
ics; but he held his peace. So It remained to 
Halstead to explain and maintain the honor and 
dignity of the range of mountains they were now 
In. This he did. In so an enlightening and intelli- 
gent a manner that It Is given here, as possibly 
serving many thoughtless or unreflective people 
who cannot understand why, when they are In the 
Adirondacks they do not seem so high after all. 

Thus he explained to them now. They were 
up among the very top of the mountains. The 
Geological map he said gave the surface of the 
lake where they were at that moment as 2,200 
feet above sea level. The top of the Palisades 
along the Hudson river were from seventy-five to 
one hundred feet high. The mountain tops they 
saw now, while but from 400 to 600 feet higher 
than the lake were In reality from 2,600 to nearly 
3,000 feet above the sea level. They were near 
the very top of the range that was highest in the 
Empire state. 

"But" said Earl, who had traveled somewhat 
Inland from the sea, though only on the Jersey 
marshes It is true; "I never saw any water as 
smooth as this before." 



Passes Again 6'^ 

To this Halstead gave an Indulgent smile as he 
explained again, that the sharp contrast of the 
mountain tops along jthe lake, with the quiet 
waters of the lake itself, accentuated its smooth- 
ness. Water In any state of quietness is always 
level. The water In Mink lake was no more 
smooth or level than the sluggish Hackensack 
river of the Jersey marsh. It only appeared so 
because of the mountains. 

The strangest thing of all to the two neophytes 
was the reflection of the water. As they rounded 
a sharp point close to the shore, quietly but quickly, 
under the Impetus of the long oar strokes of Seth, 
and skimmed along In the deep but placid water 
not ten feet from the shore, the absolutely per- 
fect reflection of sky, clouds, shore line, and the 
rocks, trees and overhanging shrubs was all so 
real that Earl started up, muttering half to him- 
self an excited cry, of what he did not know; he 
actually paled for a moment and looked half 
wild and frightened. He recovered himself and 
settled back to the comfortable position he had 
occupied, but gave a stealthy look at Halstead to 
see If he had seen and heard. The latter had to 
laugh at the young man's discomfiture however, 
though knowing full well that he had been 
puzzled by an optical Illusion to which it is im- 
possible for a magician to approach with his best 



64 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

mechanical devices, or a traveler on the desert or 
high seas to explain. It consists of the sensation 
one receives as he sits in a guide boat or other skiff, 
on a mountain lake, on a perfect day. The sky and 
shore and everything connected therewith are mir- 
rored so perfectly that the person seems to be 
actually translated to a somewhere he cannot ex- 
plain or understand, for an instant anyway. 
Whether In the air, below the water, or in an 
entirely different sphere. It Is impossible to tell. It 
lasts for only the fraction of a minute. Is accen- 
tuated by the silent movement of the boat and Is 
dissipated by the start of surprise and astonish- 
ment. Such had been Earl's sensation at this time. 
The clear waters of a quiet lake in the tropics pro- 
duces similar sensations on looking down Into the 
water from a boat, and beholding the wonders of 
the minature deep. 

Yet another surprise awaited the two youths. 
The Kid, cramped by long sitting between Earl's 
knees, ventured to stretch himself and knocked 
a seat loose from Its cleats. Plis fish basket and 
Earl's, together with a smudge kettle that Seth 
had had in the boat the night before while fishing, 
were on the seat. The broad board, the baskets 
and the kettle all fell to the bottom of the boat 
with a rattle and a bang. Then lo, Into the 
absolute stillness of undisturbed nature, there 



Passes Agam 65 

came resounding from all sides of the lake, a per- 
fect mountainic record of the noises of the falling 
things In the boat. It was as startling an ex- 
perience even as had been Earl's oculate Impres- 
sions of the reflections. The thud of the falling 
seat, the sharp ring of the kettle and the rattling 
of the baskets with the "handy things" in them, 
were successively and perfectly reproduced. Earl 
and the Kid listened with awed faces and bated 
breaths. Then, when all was quiet again It sud- 
denly occured to the Kid to try out the possibi- 
lities of the echoes. Seizing the displaced seat, 
he beat a quick tattoo on the overturned kettle 
and then stopped to listen to the reechoing 
sounds. Tiring of this, In true kiddlsh fashion 
he set up a series of yells, yawls, whoops, screams, 
shouts and cat-calls In general, until old Seth's 
face began to assume an annoyed expression and 
Halstead's nerves to get on edge. Into these yelps 
of the boy Earl fell to Injecting his college yells 
for the benefit of Mr. Echo. In sheer despera- 
tion Halstead gave orders to his cousin and 
nephew to desist. 

"Tell you what my lambs" he said, "do not 
use up all your breath and lung power here. Keep 
some of It until we get to the Hatchery, for there 
is some echo in the valley there I can tell you". 

"How much and how long does it last"? de- 



66 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

manded the practical Kid, intent on new things to 
experience on this his first outing in the mountains. 

"Why, the echo there comes back so many 
times, that you have to sit up all night to get in 
the last word" said Halstead very solemnly. 

"Oh I don't believe that" exclaimed the Kid, 
"isn't he just yarning Mr. Egan"? he said, appeal- 
ing to their oarsman. 

"Well, I don't know, I wouldn't want to say 
as to that" answered the honest old woodsman, 
slowly. "We do have some powerful echoes up 
in this country" he continued. "Now take it 
up to Schiebles lake where we go deer hunting in 
the fall. It takes a long time for an echo to 
travel back, over there. It takes so long, that all 
we have to do when we want to get up real early 
in the morning, is to stick our heads out of the 
cabin door just before we go to bed, and yell 'time 
to get up, time to get up' ; and that there echo gets 
around and wakes us up the next morning just in 
time for us to get out and get a sunrise shot at 
the deer down by the lake." 

A deep and profound silence, undisturbed by 
the faintest echo, greeted this dogmatic statement 
of the worthy old hunter. Halstead chewed his 
mustache to control the muscles of his face. Earl 
grinned appreciatively, while the Kid fell into a 
deep reverie over this new phase of life in the 



Passes Again 67 

Adirondacks. No more echoes were started by 
the boys in the bow of the boat and soon it was 
grating on the little beach at the head of the lake, 
with the game keeper of the club giving them a 
very respectful welcome. 

The distance from Seth's house to the head of 
the lake where they were now, was a bit over five 
miles. They had made it in the flat bottomed 
boat with Seth at the oars in just an hour. 



CHAPTER V 

GAME WARDEN VERSUS GAME KEEPER 

WILLIAM CoLEFAX the Game Keeper of the 
Club was one of those keen, quiet men of 
native intelligence one occasionally finds in back 
districts. He had always lived in the foot hills 
of the Adirondacks. His education, obtained in 
the District schools was meager. His touch with 
the busy, teeming world outside had been limited 
to quite frequent visits to the village capital of his 
county and an occasional visit to the nearest city. 
The former was of 2,500 population, the city 
35,000 inhabitants. He had served his town a 
few terms in the Board of Supervisors. As such he 
had visited Albany twice on committee in the 
interest of county legislation. The experience as 
Supervisor and his few trips "abroad", beyond 
the confines of his own township Into larger 
centres had broadened his mind and added depth 
to his naturally positive character. Now past 
the meridian of life he came Into the depths of the 
forest from his home on its fringe, to guard this 
part of the Club's property during the summer. 
His duties were to prevent trespassing, watch out 

68 



Game Warden Versus Game Keeper 69 

for fires, trim out the trails and upon being noti- 
fied by 'phone, assist tramping parties across the 
head of the lake. The Club was fully as zealous 
as the state In guarding against fires, for Its forest 
lands rivaled those of the state In value. It had a 
telephone system connecting Its club houses. Game 
Keeper's lodges and other places, superior by far 
to that maintained by the state for Its Rangers. 

For Colefax's shelter and home there was a 
comfortable log house situated by the shore, with 
underbrush cleared, but the straight old hemlocks 
of primeval time towering upwards for sixty and 
seventy feet. Its location at the starting place of 
the trail for Chesuncook lake afforded a full view 
of the entire head of Mink lake. A fluttering 
white cloth on the shore opposite from his landing 
showed where the trail for Conschohoc lake 
began. He was one of the best men In the em- 
ploy of the Club. It had need of his superior 
ability and character In the position the managers 
placed him. The spot at the head of Mink lake, 
as the reader must have observed, was far re- 
moved from any main highway. The preserve 
extended half way down the lake on each side. 
Thus It was an Ideal place for poachers to enter. 

Some of these specimens of humanity were 
rather reckless and vicious, but experienced native 
woodsmen. AH had a strong feeling of resent- 



Ga??ie Warden Versus Game Keeper 71 

regular". 

The precious pass was exhibited. This done, 
the trio of the party at once began to eagerly sling 
their packs to start; for even Halstead was In a 
fever to get farther Into the great wilderness. 
He first got out his bottle of "bitters for guides" 
however, to treat the two woodsmen for luck on 
the trip. Seth's toast was wordless though not 
noiseless, as the elixir gurgled down his throat. 
Colefax showed that underneath his reticence he 
was a normal woodsman after all, for he readily 
consented to take a taste for luck. But he took 
pains to explain that it was a concession to their 
being a party of guests; declaring he never drank 
with poachers. 

Bending slightly but naturally forward under 
the weight of their packs they stood until Seth 
embarked for his homeward row. Then waving 
him a farewell and expressing the same in words 
to the Game Keeper they turned and entered the 
unknown forests. To all but Halstead it had the 
fascination of mystery and awesomeness, while 
even to him there was a tinge of imagination that 
it was different and better because It was forbidden 
ground. The trees seemed taller, the woods more 
clean and the thickets less dense and tangled. How 
true to all of us. What is strange, new, difficult 
or above all forbidden Is what we want to see, 



72 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

feel, experience and take to ourselves. Taken In 
a large sense It can be a curse or blessing to man- 
kind. It was so with primeval man, and accord- 
ing to the tradition of creation, a curse. It takes 
men to the opposite and frozen ends of the earth 
and spells success or failure to the undertakings 
It Inspires. 

The Kid had squirmed with nimbleness, Into 
the straps of the packbag of blankets and wanted 
to take the lead on the trail. But his uncle ordered 
him to the rear, not because he could not follow 
the trail for It was well cut out and plain. But 
he knew the youthful eagerness of his nephew 
would set too fast a pace over the hills that were 
before them the next twelve miles. So with a 
dejected air he went to the rear. They had not 
gone a mile when he complained loudly of his 
pack. He uncle thinking the straps were possibly 
too long, permitting the pack to drag his should- 
ers, examined It, but found nothing amiss. He 
was a giant of a boy, tall and husky, five feet 
eight Inches and weighing 150 pounds. Except 
in not being so "beefy" he was as big as his uncle. 
The pack fitted snug and should carry all right, 
but Halstead suspected what was the matter. It 
was the spirit of the boy that dragged and not 
the pack. So he finally told him he might take 
the lead, providing he would not try to be smart 



Game Warden Versus Game Keeper 73 

and see how fast he could hit the trail, but mind 
his advice and obey his commands. This the 
Kid quickly promised and stepped briskly to the 
head. Thereafter, on this hike or any in which 
he was permitted to take the lead, did he once 
complain. A young colt often lathers under the 
restraint of its bit, from dejection of soul, rather 
than the weight of the load. Halstead impressed 
these instructions on the Kid which it would be 
well for all who tramp much to bear in mind. 
Unless from necessity, to make time or because of 
approaching darkness, to neither stroll slowly nor 
canter; but walk briskly, not in spurts but steadily 
in an even gait: To bend forward and slacken 
the pace when going up hill, and to quicken it 
when going down hill, with a falling back to the 
normal gait on the level. 

The sun had been rising in resplendent glory 
hours before. It had become scorchingly hot 
before they had reached the landing of Colefax, 
the Game Keeper. It was a delicious change now, 
to strike into the cool depths of the woods, from 
the exposure they experienced in the boat. While 
all wild forests are pretty much alike, there was a 
charm here peculiarly its own. As they followed 
the easy trail leisurely up the hills, through dales, 
over "hogsbacks", all the time going up, up, to 
higher elevations, they felt the positive exhilara- 



74 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

tlon. The trail followed a little valley or ravine 
through which ran a deep mountain stream. 
Occasionally they caught a glimpse of Its black 
waters or Its foaming torrent, as the case might 
be as to Its course and theirs up an incline or 
along a plateau. They were never away from 
the sound of its crashing cascades or gurgling 
currents, though it might be hidden by the thick 
foliage. Intermingled with its ceaseless music of 
the wild, was the stillness of the woods, intensi- 
fied by the almost imperceptible contrast. 

The Kid was so impressed with it all that he 
soon fell to walking cautiously, spoke only in whis- 
pers and satisfied his curiosity about anything by 
an interrogative jesture. Halstead kept silent as 
was his wont on hikes In the woods, while Earl 
having no one to talk to, relapsed into thoughts 
engendered by his environments. They had been 
walking in this way for a couple of hours when 
the Kid stopped suddenly, as he had been doing 
a score of times. He would espy a stump through 
the thicket and breathlessly whisper that it was a 
bear. A broken tree on a hill top before them 
he had called a man. Once he had pointed out a 
patch of a boulder showing through the leaves 
and was convinced it was a deer. Upon Halstead's 
negative shake of his head, he motioned out on 
his own head, the supposed deer's antlers. To 



Game JVarden Versus Game Keeper 75 

Earl's derisive comment that it was a rock, he had 
hoarsely retorted that he had seen it move. 

Waiting this time until his companions came up 
to him, he now pointed to a long streak of yellovv- 
ish red across the trail a considerable distance 
ahead. 

''An old rotten tree fallen across the trail" ex- 
claimed Halstead in an impatient undertone, 
"don't be stopping at every thing you see Kid". 

"He'll take a patch of the sky for a hawk next" 
commented Earl as he began to back gently to- 
wards a stump to rest his pack on and ease his 
shoulders. 

"May-be 'tis, and may-be 'tisn't" retorted 
the Kid in a panting voice, for the elevation was 
beginning to tell even on his young lungs. "But 
I tell you what" he affirmed, "I saw something 
white move". 

"Oh! Oh", "that's something different" Hal- 
stead declared, as the instincts of an old hunter 
told him the boy had probably seen the tail of a 
deer. "Whew", he added the next moment, "the 
whole family; let's see how near we can get to 
them". 

So it was. The Kid's imaginative soul had 
not deceived his eyes this time. Slipping to the 
front, Halstead cautiously led them forward a 
few paces at a time, where they would pause and 



76 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

feast their eyes on the gracious sight. A big 
buck, a doe and two fawns in what Halstead had 
called *'the whole family" had made the streak of 
red across the trail. Majestic, noble and grace- 
ful, the father of the family stood protectingly 
to the windward side of his mate and children. 
His magnificent head and spreading antlers would 
have made a fine target in the hunting season. 
Comments indicative of th^ sentiment of each, 
were uttered in whispers. 

"A twelve prong buck as sure as the world," 
whispered Halstead with a hunter's instinct. 

"But what a beautiful doe," revealed the senti- 
mental Earl, as that lovely creature raised her 
head and began nibbling at the leaves of a maple 
bush. 

"Oh if I could only get one of the fawns alive 
to take home" showed what was the first thought 
of the Kid. 

By degrees they worked up until they were 
within fifty feet of the deer, when they stopped 
entirely, not daring to go closer for fear of spoil- 
ing the beautiful picture. The buck browsed 
leisurely on some sorrel growing at the base of a 
rock, tossing up his grand head now and then, to 
brush a fly from his sleek sides, but taking little 
notice of his mate and their offspring. Perhaps 
it was beneath his dignity. The doe, with her 



Game Warden Versus Game Keeper 77 

slender neck and graceful head, alternated be- 
tween browsing on the bushes and attention to 
her two fawns. Her soft limpid eyes seemed to 
gaze at them with maternal tenderness while she 
occasionally turned a fond glance at her liege 
lord. The fawns appeared to be doing nothing 
In particular. One of the little fellows deftly 
scratched his ear with a hind foot, so quickly that 
the Kid who noted It, scarcely saw the motion. 
The other one after nosing about In the sorrel 
their father was feeding on, suddenly became 
playful and began to butt his brother (or sister) 
In the sides. The other one at this gave a leap 
In the air, turned for combat, and then apparently 
thinking better of It, sought refuge under Its 
mother, from where It peered out In the most 
comical manner Imaginable. This was the only 
motion In the picture until Earl from his restrained 
excitement perhaps, causing a profound perspira- 
tion and a precipitation of the mucous membrane, 
let off a violent sneeze. For a single Instant, a 
fraction of a second, there seemed to be nothing 
but a rigidity of alertness, a pose of readiness, an 
expectancy of a signal, on the part of every mem- 
ber of the little family. The signal came from 
Pater. With a toss of his great head and a shrill 
whistle from, his nostrils, he gave a mighty leap 
Into the air. Then with his tail flapping warn- 



78 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

ings of danger, he made a few long leaps and 
disappeared down the ravine towards the creek. 
With action as quick, and her tail flapping too, the 
doe sprang from the clear trail into the bushes 
with a single bound and was heard crashing up 
the mountain side for some moments. What 
became of the fawns was a mystery. The Kid 
declared he saw them "scoot" into the brush at 
the same instant the buck had sounded his warn- 
ing whistle and the mother made her leap into 
the leafy screen. But though he shed his pack 
and rushed forward feeling sure he would capture 
one or both of them, not a trace of them could he 
find. 

Probably not two minutes had elapsed from the 
time the alert eyes of the boy had discerned then 
until Earl's involuntary sneeze had startled them. 
Their effective and total disappearance was accom- 
plished In the twinkling of an eye. Many times 
afterwards on that and subsequent trips to the 
woods the boys saw wild deer, singly, in pairs 
and In herds. In the water, on dry land; in 
repose and in flight. But never again, as they 
often declared, did they ever see deer in quite 
so pleasing a setting, or have their blood sent 
tingling through their veins in quite so exciting 
a manner as when they saw "the whole family" 
on their first trip deep into the woods. 



Game fVarden Versus Game Keeper 79 

The inspiring sight of the herd of deer and the 
attendant excitement served to dissipate thqir 
minds from their lagging steps for awhile. Be- 
fore they actually began to talk about their 
fatigue, which of course would have been dispirit- 
ing in the extreme, they hove in sight of the lake 
that was to mark the end of their tramp for the 
day, and their first real sojourn far from the 
haunts of man. The surface of the water glim- 
mering through the tree tops heartened them ex- 
ceedingly. Only Halstead, experienced woods- 
man, noted that the water gleamed through the 
tops of the trees, and was In reality far away. 
They descended a valley, lost sight of it, and 
tramped for a half hour before they caught sight 
of It again. At last they reached a high declivity 
near to its very edge, and the day's tramp was at 
end. 



CHAPTER VI 

HORNETS AND WHISKEY 

HAD It not been that the trio were pretty well 
fatigued, by their first tramp, there certainly 
would have been expressions of delight from all, at 
the charm and beauty of the lake, but they scram- 
bled down the sides of the steep bank to a narrow 
and level piece of ground, without heed of Its 
charms. An outlet of artificial origin flowed 
through the spot where they landed. The ravine 
was about forty feet wide with high banks. The 
bottom was free from any vegetation save wire 
grass and wilderness weeds. Even here they scarce- 
ly noted the magnificent view to be had of this lake 
on the mountain tops. Save for two or three pro- 
nounced peninsulas making deep bays. It was nearly 
round and about two miles across. Several Isles 
dotted Its surface. That It was Indeed on the very 
top of the mountains was evidenced by the fact 
that the shore line revealed no hill over fifty feet In 
height; and there were no blue peaks In the dis- 
tance. The fact that It was on the very sum- 
mit of the range was further attested in that It 
had had two outlets for fifty years or more. One 

80 



Hornets and Whiskey 8i 

was the artificial one through the ravine into which 
they had just descended. A half century or more 
before, as far back as the memory of man "ran 
not to the contrary" anyway, the artificial outlet 
had been in existence. Probably a summer's drouth 
engendering a scarcity of water for the Erie canal 
through the Mohawk valley, had caused some 
well meaning official to send engineers seeking 
for an increased storage of aqua pura. 

Guided by maps if not by orders to the old Mink 
lake reservoir, then nearly half a century old and 
still religiously maintained as a part of the canal 
system, although its waters were seldom used, they 
had discovered that Chesuncook lake, four hun- 
dred feet higher than Mink lake, could be easily 
tapped and its waters let into the stream along 
which our party had come. Through the natural 
channel of this creek, the water reached Mink 
lake without further engineering effort. 

A mass of blasted rock, hummocks of gravel 
and sand overrun with grass and weeds, together 
with a rotting and bulging sluiceway of stone and 
timber attested to the efforts of the officials of the 
state, of a generation past. Through a channel 
fourteen feet wide at the top and ten at the bottom, 
the sides of rough hewn stone braced by hand 
hewed timbers, the waters of the lake found their 
way for a distance of forty rods, where they join- 



82 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

ed the mountain stream, there but a tiny rivulet. 
At the very end of the raceway, were the gates. 
Crude, antiquated affairs, they still bore the marks 
of the axe, broad axe and adz. 

At the head of the ravine, nestling next to the 
shore, almost hid In the shrubbery of the second 
growth timber that marked nature's efforts to hide 
man's intrusion when the work was done, stood 
the "tool house" Seth had told our friends about. 

Shedding their packs at the bottom of the ra- 
vine, and after a drink from the sparkling waters 
of the lake rippling through the tangled mass of 
masonry and crumbling timbers, with scarcely a 
glance at the lovely scene spread out before them, 
our friends clambered across the rotten timbers 
and made their way towards the tool house. Worn 
and weather beaten, it was built of matched 
spruce lumber, and evidently when it was green, 
judging by the warped appearance of the siding. 
It had probably been painted an Indian red, once 
upon a time, though that fact was scarcely dis- 
cernible now. About nine feet square, with posts 
of about the same height. It had a door and two 
windows, secured by wooden shutters. Halstead 
leading the way through the mass of the season's 
vegetation, remarked that It had evidently not 
been visited by man for a long time. He gave the 
door a vigorous shove and a kick which opened It 



Hornets and JVhiskey 83 

Immediately. 

For a moment their eyes saw nothing but the 
blackness of the interior. Then the Kid's quick 
eye saw a still blacker object slowly making its 
way up a corner post. Earl saw it too, and with 
a shout of "a hedgehog, a hedgehog" they rushed 
In with no weapons but clubs they instinctively 
siezed hold upon. The combat was short and a 
fair sized porcupine was sacrificed to their blood- 
thirsty zeal. As they tossed him out Halstead 
pried open the shutters, revealing the interior. 
Originally affording a place for storing tools and 
with provision for a night's shelter for a possible 
wayfarer in the mountains, it was now a scene of 
desolation. For a couple of seasons past at least, 
it evidently had been untenanted by any save the 
creatures of nature; the ominlpresent hedgehog 
appearing to have exercised the principal right of 
undisputed proprietorship. Not being able to 
get in at either the shuttered windows or the well 
hung door they had chewed a couple of holes 
through the floor, large enough to throw a man's 
hat through. Once in, the tribe had chewed at 
everything apparently, that human hands had 
touched, save the stove. The edge of the bunk, 
still containing a few crumbling boughs, the rude 
table, the bench-stools and even the handle of a 
double bladed axe had all been chewed unmerci- 



84 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

fully. Excreta from the pests covered the floor. 
Earl, exclaiming that it was worse than a pigeon 
loft, of which he had had some acquaintance, 
retreated into the open with the Kid, and sat 
down, to relax and rest, as their kinsman had not 
permitted them for hours past. Both agreed that 
they would rather sleep in the open than in such a 
dirty place. 

Halstead however was not of this fiber. He 
had been there, to this identical place, five years 
before. He and thfee of his associates of the 
surveying party had spent a night there. He 
guessed they could, and would too, he told them. 
Seizing an old splint broom from a corner, he 
began to sweep out the accumulation of rubbish. 

Neither he or the others had noted a large 
wasp's nest that hung from the peak of the roof 
near the stove pipe. But the wasps, now active 
on the flora of the forest had noted the Intrusion 
and took stock of his activities. While he was 
busy wielding the crude broom and delivering a 
dissertation on the advantages of a snug camp like 
this one, over a bush in the open, for a night's 
lodging, an old wasp, with a low rumble like the 
harmony of a great organ in a cathedral, deli- 
berately approached him and Inserted the business 
end of his working machinery back of Halstead's 
right ear. 



Hornets and Whiskey 85 

With a yell like one possessed of a demon, 
Halstead dropped his broom and shot out of the 
little camp like one shot out of a gun. He danced 
around in a ridiculous manner, trampling down 
all the vegetation In that part of the scenery, his 
yells of pain awakening faint echoes among those 
low mountain tops. At last he yielded to Earl's 
suggestion that he bathe the burning mastoid in 
some spirits fiirmenti. Seizing the proffered 
flask which Earl had hurriedly dug out of a pack 
basket, he tremblingly unscrewed the top, poured 
a little of the contents on his fingers and rubbed 
the affected part therewith. This done, he cere- 
moniously, (as was the custom of "old timers" in 
the woods,) touched the flask to his lips, rescrewed 
the top to Its place, put the flask in his left hip 
pocket, and remarked briskly, "I guess we had 
better explore the other side of the lake; let us 
get out of this anyway". 

"But I say Uncle" piped up the Kid, "what's 
that stuff you have In the leather bottle anyway"? 

"Oh shut up Kid, you want to know too much. 
Go in and close those shutters to the windows and 
shut the door of the camp. We had better get 
out of this" he repeated, as he put his hand up to 
his ear and began to fondly stroke the affected 
part. 

"But Uncle" persisted the Kid, "do I get a 



86 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

taste too, If I get a wasp to sting me?" 

"St-ss-st, nothing, but shut the camp I tell you" 
ordered Halstead as he continued to nurse his 
ear. "Earl, you: quit your snickering and get 
the packs In that old dish pan down by the stump 
on the other side" he added; and going with the 
boy into the musty old camp-tool-house he helped 
close the shuters and secure he door. 

Thus was the tool house at the state reservoir 
In the wilderness left by our party, as they had 
found it. While In rather a deplorable condition 
yet In extremity, it would be a welcome shelter 
to some trapper In winter, as he arrived near to 
night fall. So Halstead carefully closed it, leav- 
ing it as secure as he had found It. This was 
only in accordance with an old and well understood 
tradition of the Adirondacks before there were 
any clubs or preserves by citizens or state. 

The hedgehog that had been slain, was an 
object of curiosity to the boys, and they would 
have held a postmortem had Halstead been con- 
tent to wait for It. But he cut their curiosity 
short by a brief lecture on the habits, nature and 
character of the peculiar animal, the chief em- 
phasis being the fact that they were a curse to 
campers and camp owners, by their proclivity to 
chew up everything that man had once touched, 
that was chewable. 



Hornets and Whiskey 87 

The Idea that they shot their quills was a 
fallacy he told them, and that they not being fit 
for food to a normal man made them absolutely 
useless. In Canada, It Is said that they are pro- 
tected by law, because they are about the only 
thing a man lost In the woods can kill with a club. 
But as Halstead said, and which most sportsman 
will agree with, a man would not only have to be 
lost, but well on In the stages of starvation, to 
summon up courage to eat one, so repulsive are 
they In appearance. Leaving their prickly victim 
to the maggots, they prepared to depart to "the 
other side". 

The "dish pan" Halstead had referred to was 
a steel row boat moored at the very head of the 
raceway or outlet. The Club, as our party sub- 
sequently found out on Its trip had placed this 
style of boat all through Its tract. Impervious to 
changing weather, they took no water save that 
rained In them from the heavens, and carried that 
only so long as the Indisposition of possible lazy 
users permitted. Earl at Halstead's commands 
had carried all their duffle, two pack baskets, one 
pack bag, three creels and a camera, to the metal 
skiff and stowed them along the bottom. But 
now, as the Kid and Halstead joined him, he was 
sitting disconsolately astride the bow as It rested 
on the bank, and mournfully announced that one 



88 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

of them would have to swim and push the boat, as 
there were no oars or paddle. 

"Say, you are a kid too. Earl" said Halstead, 
as his eyes gave a glance around. "You would 
not do even to get wood for fire for supper" ; and 
with this good natured banter he reached up to 
a rustic rack whereon rested a pair of oars and a 
paddle and began to hand them down to the sur- 
prised youth and gaping kid. Upon closer In- 
spection they saw two unpeeled spruce posts set 
In the ground, with butts of the original branches 
at the top making rests or hooks for the oars. The 
bark being on had deceived them. Up close to 
the butts of the limbs the posts had been neatly 
collared by two Inverted dish pans. Thus the 
oars and paddles were safe from hedgehogs climb- 
ing up and chewing them. 

As they floated away, Halstead called his com- 
panions' attention to the fact that the boat they 
were appropriating was the only one at the landing 
they were leaving, so they must return It promptly 
that night. The Kid Intent only on the Immediate 
future, what was before them, poohed at this until 
his uncle told him It was an Invariable rule of 
the woods. Club or no Club. He pointed out the 
Inconvenience they would have undergone had 
they found no boat at the landing on their arrival. 
It would have meant at least another hour, 



Hornets and Whiskey 89 

threashing through the brush around the shores. 

Earl eager to try his muscles at the oars had 
the seat in the middle, the Kid was in the bow, 
while Halstead sat in the stern to make use of his 
experienced paddle strokes. They all instinctively 
felt that they were indeed deep in the woods, away 
from any human habitation. The vermin infest- 
ed camp, an occasional haunt of man which they 
had just left, was all they had seen since early in 
the forenoon. Except for an hour's rest at a 
spring by the trail when they ate their lunch, they 
had been tramp, tramp, tramping through an ab- 
solutely unbroken wilderness of forest. A sharp 
change indeed of less than forty eight hours be- 
fore, when they left the serene life of a Long 
Island shore and passed through the teeming 
activities of the Metropolis. 

As they were moving silently along on the 
quiet waters of the lake, there came rattling upon 
the serenity of their minds, intensified by a realiza- 
tion of their environments, a "ha-ha-ha-a-a-ee-00- 
oon" that blanched the face of Earl and caused 
the Kid to cower in fright in the bow. Halstead 
threw back his head and laughed right merrily at 
their fright and consternation. It only added 
wrathful resentment to the boys' discomfiture, and 
they hoarsely demanded to know what it was. 
With the single laconic exclamation of "loon", 



90 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

Halstead gave his paddle the proper dip and twist, 
and steered the boat around a well defined point 
and quietly announced that they were within sight 
of the Club camp. In due time their boat was nos- 
ing its way among a veritable fleet of boats for 
the wilderness spot, three in all. They were soon 
ashore and exploring the new camp and its sur- 
roundings. The building was ten by fourteen feet, 
made of logs set on end. It had a floor of match- 
ed lumber and a roof of split shingles, and con- 
tained a stove, a few cooking utensils, some dishes 
and two comfortable bunks well filled with balsam 
boughs. It was a most welcome sight to our 
friends now wearied with ceaseless activity since 
early dawn. Not caring to do much exploring, 
the Kid and Earl obeyed Halstead's stern com- 
mand and each embarked in a skiff for their old 
landing, to return with one, in due time. A savory 
supper awaited them. The menu consisted of the 
trout of the morning's catch which Mrs. Egan had 
dressed and wrapped in damp ferns, hot coffee, 
boiled potatoes and a humped up Johnny cake 
for which they had ample butter, scooped from a 
marmalade jar, the last, prepared only two nights 
before on the coast of the booming Atlantic, the 
noise of the waves pounding on the shingle coming 
through the open windows of John Handle's "cot 
by the sea". 



Hornets and Whiskey 91 

With a hoot owl vociferating to its mate and a 
gentle ripple of the waters of the lake splashing 
up through the drift wood by the shore, they 
sank into a slumber peculiarly Its own. Away 
from everything, everywhere and everybody, yet 
so little removed from everybody and everything, 
they slept the sound sleep of nature. Intensified 
by fatigue and increased by the rarity of moun- 
tain air. 



CHAPTER VII 

A RISING ECHO 

TIME to get up, time to get up". 
This was boomed Into the ears of the Kid 
and Earl but little after dawn the next morning. 
Halstead had gotten up and prepared breakfast. 
It was a bountiful one of bacon and eggs, pan 
cakes and coffee. The boys were not disturbed 
during the preparations, so sound was their sleep, 
engendered by the fatigues of the previous day. 
When all was ready, Halstead espying a roll of 
birch bark In the rubbish of the wood pile, rolled 
It up and shouted the above admonition as he 
stood without the camp. Acting as a sounding 
board. It had awakened the boys with its rein- 
forced vibrations. Whether they thought It was 
an echo or not, was not discussed. They speedily 
dressed, and washing up by the lake shore they 
fell to the breakfast with such appetites as is only 
possible under such circumstances. 

It would not be believable to one not familiar 
with, or who does not understand or take Into 
consideration all the features and circumstances. 

92 



A Rising Echo 93 

But It Is no exaggeration to say that the two 
youths ate at this meal, as much as four men would 
under ordinary circumstances and normal condi- 
tions. The Kid was In the height of the "grow- 
ing process" with tissues upbuilding fast. Earl, 
maturing Into young manhood had the combina- 
tion of physical and mental development demand- 
ing material sustentatlon. Within two days both 
had made the sharp climatic change from sea 
level to the modest altitude of 3,500 feet. They 
had tramped twelve miles through a forest of 
pine, spruce, balsam and hemlock, each with 
heavy packs. Though they had had a bountiful 
supper yet they had had an enervating sleep of 
nine hours. Natural physical exhaustion, burning 
youth, atmosphere and altitude, all combined to 
make a clamoring demand for food on the part 
of the boys that was startling In Its character and 
scope. Even Elalstead, possessed of experience 
In camping trips had miscalculated In preparing 
the breakfast. For though he had cooked nine 
eggs, three apiece, and a spider full of bacon and 
had mixed over half a package of pan cake flour 
and fried Into griddle cakes, the food all dis- 
appeared under the onslaught of the boys. Pie 
fried some more bacon, prepared the rest of the 
flour In the package and fried pan cakes. But 
still the Kid cried for more "pannle-cakes". 



94 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

"Say Kid" exclaimed Halstead as he broke open 
a package of crackers and put them on the deal 
table for a final nibble, for his nephew, "I believe 
you are worse than old Sebastien who guided us 
once in Canada." 

"How was that uncle?" asked the Kid with a 
voice muffled with dry crackers. 

"Oh nothing much" answered Halstead, "only 
I thought he was a glutton until I brought you 
into the woods." 

"Well would you call me a glutton?" asked 
Earl as he cautiously added a little hot water to 
the grounds in the coffee pot, preparatory to pro- 
viding himself with a final cup of something in the 
line of coffee. 

"No" said Halstead, "you are only a gourmand. 
Sebastien and the Kid here, I believe constitute 
the limit of gluttony as they represent the ex- 
tremes of age and poles of existence. One a 
wrinkled old Canadian half breed, the other a 
stripling of the metropolis; yet both are gluttons, 
positive gluttons. You will queer the trip young- 
ster, like the old guide did," he added as the youth 
turned the coffee pot upside down over his cup in 
an endeavor to obtain the last drop of the now 
weakened and sloppy beverage. 

"How did he queer the trip?" asked the Kid, 
"tell us about It" asked Earl. 



A Rising Echo 95 

''No, it Is too long a story and you would not 
believe it anyway" said Halstead. 

"Oh yes I would" retorted Earl. "You ought 
to tell it anyway if it will stop me from spoiling 
the day. I might turn out wors'n the Kid you 
know." 

"Well it was this way" began Halstead. "Old 
Sebastien was our guide on a hunting trip we made 
into the wilds of Canada a few years ago. He was 
a typical husky half breed, strong as an ox, and 
knew the country well. But he was so dirty and 
careless In his personal habits we only employed 
him to carry the heaviest pack and to do the work 
In camp. We could not abide his cooking for us. 
Harry Beach, an 'up state' friend of mine did 
that. He had tramped and camped a lot and it 
was agreed that he would do that. Sebastien 
was to act as sort of pack horse and guide com- 
bined. 

"The old half breed was a willing fellow to 
work; but he was also as willing to eat too. We 
all thought he was trying to put one over on us 
because we did the cooking and waiting on him 
when his turn came to eat. So one morning along 
towards the end of our trip, when we had only a 
couple of days more before us, before we got to 
the post, and we were thus reasonably sure of our 
provisions holding out, we thought we would put 



96 The Story of a Pass In the Adirondacks 

one over on Sebastien. We wanted to see just 
how much he could eat. So after breakfast, after 
he had eaten the last rind of bacon and was 
smearing his tin plate off with his dirty fmgers, 
and licking them, Beach said, 'Sebastin hadn't 
you better eat dinner now, so we won't have to 
stop at noon' "? 

" 'Yes me eat dinner now' said Sebastien. So 
we sliced up another frying pan of bacon and fell 
to and fried another batch of pan cakes and boiled 
another pot of coffee, and shoved them at him as 
long as they held out. As he was scraping his 
plate off the second time, just for fun, Beach 
said 'Sebastien, wouldn't It be a good idea to 
have your supper now? then when we get to 
camp we won't be losing time cooking your 
supper:' The old guide gave a grunt of assent 
and settled back while we repeated the process. 
Beach, who had plunged us into the thing, in- 
sisted on our giving Sebastien a 'square deal'. We 
fried another frying pan of bacon, another moun- 
tain of pan cakes, and boiled another pot of coffee, 
and shoved It all at Sebastien. Well, he got away 
with it. Just to hurry things up a bit, because we 
were over an hour late following out Beach's fool 
Idea, we were all busy washing up the dishes and 
packing things. We did not notice Sebastlen's 
final process of licking his plate. But when we 



A Rising Echo 97 

did turn our attention to the old reprobate, blessed 
If he wasn't sound asleep alongside of the log 
he had been sitting on while we were feasting him. 
He was as dead asleep as If he was drunk on their 
vile brandy they drink. Beach dumped a pall of 
water over his head, and we finally got him awake. 
Then we told him It was time to be hitting the 
trail. But he just gave a sleepy, satisfied grunt, 
filled his pipe, and said between puffs, as he 
lighted It, 'No: me no work after supper. Me 
sleep heap big sleep after supper always'." 

A shout of derisive laughter from the Kid 
greeted Halstead's close of the story. But the 
practical Earl suggested that the proper and effect- 
ual thing to have done to meet and overcome the 
situation was to have given Sebastlen his break- 
fast, though the Kid insisted he did not believe 
the story at all. 

'*It is just like Seth's echo story" he declared. 
''One is echoy shadow and the other sounds fishy 
to me. Why, how could a man eat so much?" 

"Yes, and how can you eat so much?" asked 
Halstead, as he put what was left of the crackers 
back in their case and as he gathered things 
together mentally calculated the ratio at which 
the provisions had been reduced in the two wilder- 
ness meals they had already eaten. He saw they 
must procure more at Bussby Lodge. So he 



98 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

directed the boys to roll up Seth's blankets and 
conceal them in a cubby hole in the loft of the 
camp, without the bag. 

To the Kids instantaneous asking *Vhy", he 
told him, with a sly wink to Earl that it was for the 
purpose of using it as a back pad after they got 
to Bussby lake, which of course only whetted the 
youth's appetite for more information. He was 
simply assured to be patient and he would see. 

As they were to encounter the aristocratic ren- 
dezvous of the preserve early In the day's tramp, 
the members of the party prepared to enact the 
carefully laid plans agreed upon when the trip was 
planned. There was a fine private hotel at 
Bussby lake, maintained in the wilderness for the 
exclusive use of the club members and their guests. 
Halstead was familiar with its rules from having 
perused one of its Annuals of a rainy day, when 
forced to stop at the Lodge with the party of 
surveyors. So his plans were Intelligently laid. 
Among the rules was one forbidding a guest to 
have a guest as his guest. 

Earl could not very well pass as a guide, by 
reason of both his youthful and cityfied appear- 
ance, as well as glaring ignorance of the ways of 
the woods. Debarred by the rules of the club 
as posing as John Randle's guest, he would have 
to pass as a servant of Halstead and personal 



A Rising Echo 99 

body guard to the Kid. As before remarked, 
there being no particular rules against boys like 
the Kid, any species of deceit in his assuming a 
character was not necessary. But he was well 
schooled to keep mum as to the general state of 
affairs, and not to be too free or chummy with 
Earl before people. 

There was soon to be a momentary mingling 
with people who had their valets and maids with 
them in the woods, and "dressed for dinner" even 
in the remote wilderness. Preparatory to putting 
on a proper appearance for this therefore, Hal- 
stead shaved and put on a silk shirt with a stock, 
in place of the rough woolen one he had worn 
from Seth's. The Kid donned a clean shirt waist 
from the pack, replacing the blue sweater he had 
worn over his gauze undershirt. Earl, taking a 
servant's part, contented himself with washing his 
teeth. 

After cleaning out and tidying up the camp, and 
carefully closing it, Halstead maliciously assign- 
ed the biggest and heaviest pack to Earl, and led 
the way over the trail to the place where they 
expected to have the severest test put upon their 
mild duplicity. In a little while and the waters 
of Chesuncook lake were lost to view. Again in 
a comparatively short time, and the waters of 
Bussby were seen glimmering through the trees, at 



100 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

their very feet as it were, the same as the lake 
of the night before. In fact it was very much 
lower than the lake where they had spent the 
previous night. The trail here, as were all the 
main trails on the Club Preserve, was well cut out 
and clean. These main trails were like improved 
highways as it were; while blazed trails, marked 
only by slashes or blazes on the trees, or the 
faintest indication of a path in the underbrush 
were like those unimproved roads of back country 
districts. And yet it is these blind or blazed trails 
that lead to the choicest streams for fishing and 
the best runs for deer. But it takes a person of 
experience to successfully traverse these blind 
trails. Even a person of considerable experience 
will sometimes mistake a deer runway for one 
and get lost speedily. They are generally first 
made and used by the native woodsmen alone, and 
they are foxy in keeping them as blind and obscure 
as possible. The writer has frequently seen such 
a trail leading to some secluded stream or lake 
where trout are plentiful or hunting good. It 
would be well blazed and marked out to within 
perhaps half or quarter of a mile of the objective 
point. Then the slashes would suddenly cease 
or become confused. Only a practiced eye will be 
able to discover the half concealed slash, or the 
broken twig that indicates the direction; and they 



A Rising Echo loi 

will be very far apart at that. 

I was once following a blind trail that I felt 
convinced led to a little fly hole deep in the woods, 
where I had heard there was a comfortable log 
camp used by pot hunters, late in the fall, when 
they killed and prepared their winter's supply of 
jerked venison. The slashes, after spreading out 
in the most bewildering fashion for a few rods, 
ceased altogether. I went back on the trail 
several times in an endeavor to locate the real 
direction. I finally thought I would have to give 
it up. The topography of the land was flat and 
even, night was near and I did not care to get 
lost. At last, as I happened to glance at the 
smooth trunk of a noble beech tree, I noticed the 
clean, deep but almost indiscernible incisions of 
an axe blade. Taking my cue, I turned in the 
direction of that side of the tree, walked a little 
way and found another; and so on, for perhaps 
about fifteen rods, with an occasional broken twig 
or limb as an additional indicator. Ultimately, 
back in the brush and bushes, concealed from any 
possibility of being seen from the shore of the 
little pond, I cam.e upon what I was expecting to 
find. A good substantial log hut, with a good 
water tight roof of split (though not shaved) 
shingles. A little farther away, were the frames 
for drying and smoking venison. 



I02 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

Not caring to describe this place too accurately 
however, I will simply add this much. That if 
one is wise to the ways of the independent back- 
woods hunter and trapper, and was to search 
about in the proper places, he would be apt to 
find such useful things as the following. A fry- 
ing pan or two, coffee or tea pot, tin cups, etc. 
Possibly even an axe. But the proclivity of hedge- 
hogs to chew the handles, discourages including 
them in the cache. 

Thus even to the present day, the traditions, 
courtesies and honor of the trappers and hunters 
of a bye gone age are kept and maintained. Even 
food in tins, occasionally a piece of pork in a 
jar with a boulder over it and other things are 
thus concealed. The ethics of the custom are 
seldom broken. I never knew of but one who 
was suspected of it, and he was despised and 
hated of his fellows. 



CHAPTER VIII 

BUSSBY LAKE LODGES 

HALSTEAD led the way from the main trail 
which ran around Bussby lake, down a steep 
declivity to the water's edge. The members of 
the party found themselves at a little sandy beach, 
with one of the familiar metal boats moored to a 
stake. They paused to gaze around, while Hal- 
stead pointed out the cottages of several members, 
scattered along the shore. The boys instinctively 
spoke in subdued tones, as if awed by the sense of 
greatness and power as presented by the evidences 
of wealth spread out before them. 

The lake was a gem of its own. Nearly round, 
not over half a mile in diameter, the shore rose 
precipitately, from twenty-five to fifty feet. Back 
from these bluffs rose other bluffs in graceful, 
receding slopes. Two or three blue mountain 
tops in the distance, gave added majesty to the 
scene. These regular and receding slopes, 
covered with the green of the forests, were so very 
regular, that they appeared like a great well or- 
dered lawn of old England. 

103 



I04 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

At the top of the first slope or bluff, were 
scattered a dozen or more of the ''cottages" re- 
ferred to. In reality they were luxurious mansions 
erected In this charming wilderness spot, for the 
delectation of the owners and their friends. Here 
a red chimney, looming above the velvety forest 
proclaimed an owner's bending to the will of some 
architect who had never been from Broadway, 
but who yet drew plans and specifications for 
mountain mansions. While It spoke of possible 
architectual artistic whims, it also attested of 
pressed bricks, packed like china in straw, hauled 
for miles over woods roads, and occupation given 
to imported bricklayers. 

Yonder a ponderous grey pile, bracing thv? 
spindly sides and gable of a French or Italian 
villa, betrayed as equally ignorant architect and 
helpless owner. A thin line of smoke rising from 
the pyramldlcal monstrosity, showed that the flue 
of the chimney was small, though the outside 
measurements were immense. 

The sage green of one or two cottages appear- 
ing in the dark green of the soft wood trees evi- 
denced that a few, architects or owners, possessed 
artistic temperaments. Nearly all the boat houses 
at the water's edge, were painted either a hideous 
red or an Insipid yellow. 

After pointing out the cottages of two or three 



Biissby Lake Lodges 105 

well known millionaires, and indicating the direc- 
tion of the Club House, Halstead, assuming a 
commanding air and voice, ordered Earl to put 
the packs in the boat and ship the oars, prepara- 
tory to getting off, all In a verry gruff manner. The 
look of blank amazement that came over the young 
man's face, was a study fit for a psychologist. He 
drew in his breath and gave Halstead a look of 
mingled astonishment and wrath. Halstead re- 
peated his order. 

"Come, come, Hans" he said, "get a hustle on 
yourself and get those things in the boat. Now 
be quick do yoii hear?" 

"What are you giving us?" said Earl in temper, 
"think I am your hired man?" he asked in a 
strained, but rising voice. 

"Well, you just bet you are my hired man" 
answered Halstead. "And what is more" he con- 
tinued, "you do as I tell you, and at once, or 
I will discharge you and hire a guide at the club 
house". This in most fiery tones. 

"Th — " Earl started to say, when the merry 
laughter of the Kid eased the tension. 

That individual, puzzled at first by his uncle's 
changed demeanor, had caught a twinkle in his 
kinsman's eye and had "caught on" to his manner- 
ism. With a hearty laugh they all turned to and 
put the things in the boat. To Earl as he took 



io6 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

the oars as they pushed off, Halstead explained 
that he must take a menlars part and place from 
now on, so long as any Club people were about, 
and always speak in German. 

Earl bent to the oars cheerfully, remarking 
that he was glad the lake was not a large one, 
and that their stay was to be brief. Halstead 
steered the boat to the boat house landing and 
proceeded to boss Earl about, until he was almost 
on the point of rebellion again. It galled him, 
particularly as there were a number of club guides 
about. 

In brisk, sharp orders, Halstead told him to get 
the duffle out and take them up to the Lodge 
veranda and wait for further orders. A couple 
of Club members coming to the dock In their 
regulation outing togs, accompanied by a guide, 
gave Halstead an opportunity to rub it in, by 
added directions in their presence. In his concern 
to see that his orders were carried out he re- 
mained a moment to watch and direct his cousin's 
work, as he removed the baskets and packs from 
the boat. The Kid stood by, with a broad grin 
on his face, ample evidence of the huge delight 
the affair was affording him. Earl, as he turned 
repeatedly from the boat to the dock, each time 
with his hands full of duffle, to find his grinning 
kinsman standing near, could scarce refrain from 



Busshy Lake Lodges 107 

boxing the youngster's ears. 

Picking a good cigar from the recesses of the 
pocket of his silk shirt, Halstead leisurely lighted 
It and turned his steps to the Club house. When 
he had telephoned from the station at .... he 
had ascertained that the manager was not the 
one who had been there when the party of sur- 
veyors went through. He had no fear of de- 
tection on that score, therefore. His only fear 
was from meeting some of the society folk he had 
met or knew In the metropolis. So he kept a 
keen lookout for a possible recognition on the 
part of any members or guests who might appear 
as he crossed the parched lawn that had been 
coaxed to a semblance of life, In the sandy soil. 
He mounted the steps of the Lodge, where a 
battery of eye glasses on the proper extensions, 
greeted him. There was the deliberate survey 
from the matrons and the covert glances from the 
maidens. He met them bravely, however, and 
passed on into the luxurious Interior. It was 
gotten up to appeal to and please the sentimental, 
but superficial patrons, as to life in the Adiron- 
dacks. 

A massive stone fireplace, equipped with huge 
wrought iron fire dogs, at the end of the reception 
room, was greater and more cavernous than any- 
thing of the kind ever erected in the largest tav- 



io8 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

erns of a hundred years before. Yet aside from 
this monstrosity, everything else was pleasing. 

The exterior walls of the Club House were of 
substantial hemlock logs set on end. The chinks 
between them, both inside and out were battened 
with quarter rounds of hemlock poles. They had 
been cut In the woods, shipped out to a saw mill, 
ripped Into the quarters and shipped back. Thus 
were efforts made to produce an Ideal place. 
On the exterior, the bark was retained on the walls 
proper, and on the battens. But on the Interior, 
the bark had been carefully peeled from both and 
the fresh, yellow surface varnished. The results 
were a most pleasing and uniform rustic surface, 
bright and clean, yet pronounced in its woodsy 
aspect. A few pictures in rustic frames of birch 
bark, broke the possible monotony of the yellow 
walls. Benches, with natural crooks, arms and 
knobs were before the fireplace. The hat racks 
were as equally novel and rustic. The grill work 
was of Intertwined limbs or branches. Even the 
desk of the clerk was veneered with birch bark. A 
door to the buffet revealed a bar made of a young, 
but husky hemlock tree. The cluster of its main 
roots were retained, and nestled against the side 
of the peeled and varnished wall, while a freakish 
growth, which must have been at the base of the 
limbs when It stood In the forest, made an almost 



Biisshy Lake Lodges 109 

perfect letter L at the end of the perforce, polished 
mahogany counter. Even this unique symbol of 
sociability was fastened to Its aristocratic main- 
stay, the mahogany, by rustic crotches of yellow 
birch Instead of shining brass. 

The affable clerk, recognising the name of a 
potential member of the Club, as host on Hal- 
stead's ticket, despatched a bell hop, (even In the 
woods he was omnipresent) for the manager. 
That worthy soon appeared with a smile and the 
glad hand, and greeted Halstead most affably as 
''Mr. Randle". Halstead presented the Kid (as 
indeed he was,) as his nephew. He then explained 
how he w^as making an unusual kind of trip 
through the woods, without a guide, with only his 
nephew for a companion, and a young German ser- 
vant whom he had left with his luggage. That he 
relied upon maps to get along, but wished to obtain 
some additional supplies. His servant, not speak- 
ing any English, was an Ideal one to have along for 
his nephew's sake. The father of the lad, his own 
brother-in-law, he explained had been attached to 
the German Embassy. Desiring not to mingle 
with people, but wanting rest, he was traveling as 
he was, etc. After delivering himself of all this, 
Halstead ended by recalling that he had tele- 
phoned two days previous, about the use of the 
Hatchery. 



no The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

The manager listened with proper respect to 
Halstead's verbose explanations. Evidently his 
explanation of his kinsman's connection with the 
court of the Kaiser Impressed him, though he 
showed some disappointment that he was not to 
tarry at the Lodge and spend money as became a 
millionaire. He assured Halstead that he regret- 
ted greatly that he was not to have the great 
pleasure of entertaining him at Bussby, but the 
Hatchery would be put at his disposal, as long as 
he desired. He also added that he would send a 
couple of guides along with him, to assist his 
servant In getting It ready while he and the boy 
tarried to dinner. 

This, of course was just what Halstead did not 
want. So he explained that as It was yet early In 
the forenoon, and only fifteen miles to the Hatch- 
ery, it could be made without any difficulty, before 
night fall. They would push on. He did not 
wish to tarry In the haunts of civilization at all. 

The manager expressed his keen regrets, and 
told Halstead that there were some charming 
people stopping at the Lodge who would like to 
meet him. This again was what Halstead did 
not want and he said so. But still the manager 
clung to the Idea that he should send guides with 
them to the Hatchery to assist the German servant 
in opening It up and getting things in proper shape 



Bussby Lake Lodges 1 1 1 

for their occupancy. But to this Halstead also 
demurred, hinting that he was so sated with such 
luxuries, he was plunging into the wilderness to 
get rid of it all. 

The results arrived at after ten minutes' parley 
of this kind, were, that the manager gave in. 
Halstead registered and the manager vised his 
pass. This registering of John Handle's name 
caused Halstead to smile inwardly, as he thought 
of the honest old clam digger and fisherman. If 
the old man was ever accused of having been at 
Bussby lodge, he would not know what to make 
of it. All this being accomplished, and being 
told where to find the key to the Hatchery when 
he got there, a bell hop was assigned to show him 
to the store room to get his supplies. 

Stepping to the veranda, Halstead shouted to 
Earl, who was sitting listlessly on a pack, in the 
shade of a tree on the lawn, "Komen Sie here, mit 
der sack". 

Roused from his reverie. Earl exclaimed in a 
dazed way, "What, eh, ah?" then recollecting 
himself and the part he was to play, straightened 
up and said most respectfully, "Yah, mein Herr", 
and picked up the pack bag and approached his 
lord and master. 

"Was wollen Sie, Mein Herr?" he asked de- 
ferentially as he paused at the veranda steps, 



112 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

though his eyes gazed longingly, beyond the lordly 
figure of his cousin, to the enchanting Interior of 
the Club hotel lobby. 

In his best German, Halstead told him to go 
with the bell hop to the store room, and from 
pure mischief, he indicated, with a dignified wave 
of his hand, that part of the veranda that led to 
side and rear of the Lodge, where the store house 
would be. 

Earl glared at his cousin and looked for an 
instant as though he was going to take Issue with 
him. But the youthful bell boy, not a novice cer- 
tainly, came to the rescue, by saying ''Come this 
way Dutchie, and I'll show you" and led the way. 
A suppressed but still audible titter from the ladles 
on the veranda caused poor Earl to blush furious- 
ly, as he wondered If they took him for a green 
emigrant. 

In a few minutes the pack bag was filled with 
fresh and additional supplies, and the Kid trying 
It on, scampered around to the front of the Lodge, 
and waited impatiently for the others, and the 
word to start for the long sought goal, the Hatch- 
ery. They tarried however, while Halstead, as 
boss of the expedition, permitted Earl to buy a 
few post cards at the desk, and send out at this 
their last outpost. 

Finally, all being ready, they assembled on the 



Bussby Lake Lodges 113 

lawn, and with more directions in the guttural 
German on the part of Halstead to Earl, as he 
condescended to help him on with the heaviest 
pack, they paraded past the staring ladies, and 
passed on to the trail their map indicated as lead- 
ing to their destination. 



CHAPTER IX 

A SQUALL ON A LAKE 

Bear Cubs 

TO use Earl's expression, the tramp from 
Bussby lake to the Hatchery was a "picnic" 
compared to the tramp of the day before. Al- 
though six miles longer, it was not the steady, 
monotonous and fatiguing ascent that they had ex- 
perienced the first day. While they crossed many 
little ridges, In the main It was all down hill. 
They came to two sylvan ponds or lakes early In 
the trip. They were not more than a sixteenth 
of a mile across. But here as always, they found 
the same metal boats, one on each side. They 
found a good sized wind squall raging on another 
lake of considerable size. The lake was as luxuri- 
antly wild as Chesuncook, as to Its surroundings 
and character, only it was in a valley. Instead of 
on a summit. The cooler currents of air from 
the mountains, coming down in contact with the 
warmer air of the valley was stirring up a minia- 
ture tornado, as they arrived. The waters of the 
lake were lashed into very respectable white caps, 

114 



A Squall on a Lake 115 

and the boat bobbed up and down, and in spite of 
all Halstead could do, the dish pan was once 
rolling fearfully, in the trough of the waves. Earl 
was attempting to steer with the paddle, and it 
was very inexperienced steering indeed. The oars- 
man quickly brought it around, but not until Earl 
was frightened, and the Kid wished audibly for 
old Seth's flat bottomed scow, with its breadth of 
beam. 

Leaving the Kid on the farther side, with the 
duffle, and taking the boat that was there, in tow, 
Halstead made Earl row, while he demonstrated 
to him how to handle and steer with a paddle, 
even in the teeth of a gale, and a trailing boat. 
Then when they started back with the single boat, 
he made Earl take the paddle and so kept up his 
instructions. They were given in loud tones, to 
be heard above the gale, so that poor Earl thought 
his cousin angry at him. But the results were 
that he gave such good heed to the shouted com- 
mands and directions, that he was ever after an 
expert at handling the paddle. Halstead used 
frequently to remark, afterwards, that the quick- 
est way to teach a person to paddle, was to take 
him out on a lonely lake in a storm. 

The art of paddling, either in steering a boat 
or propelling it independently, is no easy accom- 
plishment. I have known people who have been 



ii6 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

years to water resorts, and frequentors of the 
mountain lakes, who have vainly tried to learn. 
It is done by keeping the blade of the paddle 
vertical In the water, the staff at an angle govern- 
ed by its length, and moving the entire paddle 
to and fro. The handle must not be rolled 
in the hands. Probably the greatest accomplish- 
ment with the paddle, is not the steering of a 
boat propelled by an oarsman, or in propelling 
the boat itself with the paddle, though this is a 
more refined accomplishment. But the superla- 
tive of art, with the paddle, is the driving of the 
boat through the water without causing a ripple, 
In absolute stillness, and without removing the 
paddle from the water. Since the stopping of 
floating for deer at night, the occasion for learn- 
ing this art has largely disappeared. Probably 
comparatively few sportsmen of the Adirondacks 
now, know how to do it; and I imagine as few 
modern guides. I know I have met many visitors 
to the region who have never heard of it. But 
it was a common accomplishment among the old 
school of guides and sportsmen. In those days, 
or to be very correct, nights, the darker and more 
still, the better, the hunter and his companion 
sought their game. Three accoutrements were 
essential, besides the boat. The jack light in 
the bow, a gun and a paddle. The one to whom 



A Squall on a Lake 117 

was entrusted the paddling, would silently drive 
the boat through the Inky darkness, frequently 
skirting the entire shores of a lake, all without a 
ripple, or a removing of the paddle from the 
water at all. 

The fourth lake our friends came to, was so 
small, that at Earl's suggestion they did not avail 
themselves of the boat at the landing, but walked 
around. The Kid wickedly suggested that it was 
because he was tired out from rowing and pad- 
dling on the big lake, in the storm, and asked to 
see the blisters on his hands. 

In reality Earl was proving the softest one In 
the party, in point of endurance or lack of it 
rather. At this chaffing, he bristled up, and was 
for resenting it until Halstead, in a diplomatic 
way, decided, by saying that judging from his 
maps, they were to soon leave the main trail 
and take one that branched off for the Hatchery, 
they might as well walk around anyway. 

They found the maps of the Government Sur- 
vey reliable in every way. Anyone, with a fair 
knowledge of woodcraft, and possessed of self 
reliance, armed with the proper section of the 
map of the region he is to traverse, can get 
along readily. They can be obtained of the 
proper Department at Washington, but are un- 
mounted. A good way to prepare them to take 



ii8 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

on tramps is to first paste them on coarse linen 
or cheese cloth. Then secure a piece of oil cloth 
a little larger than the section of the map, tack 
both on a round section of wood, like a piece of 
a broom stick. The whole will then roll up into 
a compact tube like form, protected from weather 
and accidents, and fit snugly into a pack basket 
or other receptacle. 

Locating the branch trail with the aid of their 
map, they took it and had a stiff climb over a trail 
that was no longer kept clear, as was the main 
trail. Yet it was cut out some six feet wide, and 
they had no difficulty in following it. They were 
well winded by the longest climb they had had 
that day. One of the features of the maps men- 
tioned, is that they indicate by shaded lines, the 
character and elevation of the country. It now 
appeared to them that they had no more moun- 
tains to cross, and that the rest of the way to 
the Hatchery would be down grade. 

"Good" exclaimed Earl, as this fact was noted 
on the map. "And this is evidently the starting 
of the tobaggan slide, I suppose" he continued. 
"Now if this trail was only a cinder path, and we 
had bicycles with coaster brakes, look how far 
we could coast." And he pointed down the open 
stretch before them, with its gentle slope admit- 
ting, right there, of their seeing a long way 



A Squall on a hake 119 

through the forest. 

They all naturally looked down through the 
leafy passage. The Kid, be it said to his credit, 
his eyes ever alert to everything, gave utterance 
to an exclamation of surprise. He saw a black 
object moving up the trunk of a tree, at the very 
end of the long vista, and said so. 

"Oh, see the hedgehog climbing the tree; isn't 
he a big fellow though?" 

This was his exclamation. 

"Oh, cracky: there's two of 'em" he added. 

Indeed two objects were to be observed slowly 
ascending two small trees. One reached the top 
of the tree which he was climbing and turned his 
body sidewise to them as he scrambled into the 
branches, even as they watched. His struggle to 
get into the branches, revealed a fat belly and 
black glossy sides. 

"Oh look, they haven't any quills on them at 
all, except around their noses: how funny:" ob- 
served the Kid, as the other one reached the top 
of its tree and scrambled into the limbs. 

"Say son, you are quite right, and what's more, 
they never will have any quills either:" said Hal- 
stead. 

He made this remark so very significantly and 
impressively, that both Earl and the Kid looked 
at him and then at the trees where the creatures 



I20 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

were, with just a shade of suspicion crossing their 
minds. The Kid took another quick look and 
then exclaimed excitedly, 

"Say Uncle, what are they? Bear cubs?" 

Halstead nodded affirmatively, and the way the 
Kid wormed himself out of his pack, sprang to 
his feet and started down the trail with a yell, was 
a caution. Neither Halstead or Earl had much 
more than slipped the straps from their packs 
and risen to their feet, when the reckless youth 
was down to the foot of the trail. At once he 
was shouting, dancing and throwing sticks, clubs 
and stones at the poor, frightened, self-treed 
little cubs. In spite of his fear that the mother 
bear might arrive to protect her young from the 
puny onslaughts of his nephew, Halstead could 
not help laughing as he ran forward, at the ridi- 
culousness of It all. As they arrived at the scene 
of contest, if such a one sided affair could be 
that, Halstead cautioned his nephew to stop his 
noise and cease his operations and efforts to dis- 
lodge the cubs. The kid was obedient, and a 
council of war was held. 

"Oh Uncle" said the Kid In a whisper, "if we 
could only get them alive. Oh Uncle, please try. 
Please do let me go up after them. I can get 
them all right." 

With an amused smile and gesture of dissent. 



A Squall on a Lake 121 

his uncle now drew the party apart from the treed 
cubs and told them they had best leave them alone. 
They had only a revolver, and it would be exceed- 
ingly embarassing to meet the mother if they were 
bearing off her offspring. 

Strange to say, Earl, the Quiet, if that might 
be said of him, was loath to leave the cubs. He 
was for getting them. Then the Kid spoke up 
and said "Oh Uncle, if we could get only one, 
just one". 

This expression gave Halstead an idea. If 
they could quietly effect the capture of one of the 
cubs and successfully make. off with it, the proba- 
bilities were, that the maternal instincts of the 
parent would not be so greatly outraged as to 
move her to abandon one of her youngsters in 
an endeavor to find the other. 

Halstead announced this idea in a half whisper 
and the Kid danced with joy. He would have at 
once climbed up after one of them if he had not 
been prevented by Earl, who admonished him to 
await his uncle's plans. These plans he immedi- 
ately indicated, by removing his leathern belt and 
passing the end backward through the buckle, 
thus making an effective "slip noose". 

From the appearance of the cubs in the trees, 
there did not appear to be much of any choice 
between the two. Both looked equally fat and 



122 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

sleek, wise and roguish, as they peered down at 
their unbidden visitors. Selection was made of 
the tree therefore, rather than of the cub. The 
one that offered the easiest prospect of ascent and 
had the largest limbs and most spreading branch- 
es was decided on as most favorable to the cap- 
tors' free movements and affording a good roomy 
place for an aerial tussle. To Earl, as being the 
medium in weight and size, was assigned the 
honor of making the ascent and using the ex- 
temporized and it must be owned, abbreviated 
lariat. 

Placing the strap between his teeth and cau- 
tioning his companions not to desert him in the 
event of the old bear putting in an appearance, 
Earl slowly climbed to the limbs, where he paused 
to make observations. . The cub had been an in- 
terested spectator as the climber came up the tree 
trunk, but as his perspiring face appeared above 
the first crotch of the branches not a foot away, 
the cub evidently lost interest, for he turned his 
back on Earl and walked out to a convenient 
crotch on a limb proper. Here he turned and 
quietly sat on his haunches and surveyed his in- 
truder from this vantage point. 

"You little brute" panted Earl, "why didn't 
you stay where you were and I could have collared 
you with one hand?" 



A Squall on a Lake 123 

"Well you do not suppose he is going to walk 
right into a collar, without a brass band to draw 
him do you" shouted the Kid, adapting a current 
joke to the situation aloft. 

"Be careful and do not drive him out to the 
end of the limb where you cannot reach him" was 
Halstead's counsel. 

For the next few moments all precaution 
against a return of the mother bear was com- 
pletely forgotten, as those on the ground shouted 
orders, suggestions, encouragement and even 
banter, while Earl played tag with the cub in the 
tree top. He alternately endearingly coaxed and 
mildly cursed the lumbering, yet with all wonder- 
fully quick moving bundle of fur. The little 
fellow took positive umbrage at Earl's intrusion, 
when he had gotten his lanky form up into the 
branches. With a disdainful sniff, he clambered 
to a higher limb and retreated to the opposite side 
of the tree trunk. When Earl worked around to 
his side, he quickly left his company and descended 
to a lower limb again. Once Earl was about to 
drop the noose of the belt over his head, as the 
cub stood erect on a limb below and gazed up 
at his tree top companion. The strap did drop 
over his nose, but settled down only to his ears. 
That was all. The little fellow shook his head 
wisely and shook the strange thing off at the same 



124 ^^^ Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

time. He then walked out on the limb and sat 
down on the same crotch seat he had occupied 
when Earl first arrived, and again looked roguish- 
ly wise. 

Exasperated at this ''ring around the rosey" 
game, Earl dropped down to the limb, to cut off 
any more retreats to the centre of the tree and 
tried to crawl out to the seated clown, resolved 
to take him by a good firm grip of his hands. 
But although retreat in one direction was thus 
cut off, it was not in another. Accordingly the 
black imp went out farther on the branch. At 
this movement however, the limb began to sag. 
Then a panic semed to overcome the little fellow; 
for he fairly scrambled down the slowly settling 
limb to the very end, and executing an aerial 
somersault landed on the ground with a mild woof 
and a dull thud, much like unto a ball of butter. 

With a hurrah of delight, the Kid rushed at 
him and on him. Thinking the cub had been 
stunned, if not killed, Halstead did not interpose. 
But a "wough" from the Kid as he sprang back 
quicker than he had sprung forward, showed that 
there was still the spirit of life and of fight in the 
cub. With well extended claws, he had given the 
Kid a raking caress from the shoulder down an 
arm, tearing open the sleeve and making consid- 
erable of a scratch in the flesh. He was up and 



A Squall on a Lake 125 

making off, when Halstead dropped his coat over 
Its head and capture was easy. 

The Kid capered with glorious glee, oblivious 
of his torn shirt and scratched arm. Earl de- 
scended from the tree, and at Halstead's direction, 
securely strapped the forepaws of the cub with 
the belt. Then directing the boys to tie a hand- 
kerchief securely around its muzzle, he proceeded 
to put his coat to a most ingenious and effective 
use, in further securing the cub. For it was prov- 
ing active and wiry in spite of its fall, and kept 
the boys busy wrestling to control it. Turning 
his coat inside out, so that if it should be soiled, 
it would be on the outside, he put the hind legs of 
the cub through the sleeves, trouser fashion. Then 
buttoning the coat up, young Mr. Cub was well 
secured, bound and bagged, all ready for packing 
through the woods. This unique contrivance 
brought another hurrah from the Kid and an 
expression of admiration for its ingenuity from 
Earl. 

Throwing the cub across a shoulder with a 
laconic "come on" Halstead led the way to their 
abandoned and forgotten packs. 

They had gone but a few steps though, when a 
tremendous noise and crashing of the brush and 
young trees, was heard, down the trail. 



CHAPTER X 

THE MOTHER BEAR APPEARS 

It's the old bear all right" exclaimed the Kid in 
excited tones as they hurried towards their 
packs. It must be said that he did not rush 
ahead this time. Neither did he fall to the rear, 
but kept close to his uncle, between the latter and 
Earl who was ahead. He glanced back every 
few steps, but it would be hard to tell whether 
he was looking back in the direction of the noise, 
or at the cub as it was bobbing up and down on 
Halstead's shoulder. Anyway, as he trotted along 
he kept telling his uncle to hurry. 

Earl showed positive signs of serious distrac- 
tion of some kind. He arrived at the pile of packs 
in long leaps and began tossing them into the 
brush. The pack bag of provisions went along 
with his fish basket and its rattling contents. 
Next the large and heavy packbasket containing 
the most breakable things, was hurled after them. 
He was just gathering up the rods for another 
fling when Halstead came up, panting from his 
run, and the lively burden he was bearing. 

126 



The Mother Bear Appears 127 

"You might as well jump there now yourself" 
he growled to Earl as he took a hasty glance back- 
wards. "Duck Kid, duck I tell you" he exclaimed, 
as he himself sank out of sight in the bushes. 

In a twinkling, all three were squatting or 
kneeling in the bushes among the disorderly 
array of their camping duffle. All were breath- 
ing hard. Halstead from bein*g winded, Earl 
from anxiety or something and the Kid from 
suppressed excitement. 

The cub, innocent cause of all the trouble was 
dumped unceremoniously on the ground among 
the litter of their regular property. The Kid's 
medium sized fish basket happened to be under 
its stomach. Alert for the safety and welfare of 
the cub or of his basket, he removed it. Noticing 
that the handkerchief was drawn very tightly 
around the cub's nose, he began to loosen it, 
speaking a few endearing words to the cub. At 
this, Halstead demonstrated that he could do two 
things at once, by knocking the Kid's hands away 
with one hand, and giving him a resounding cuff 
on the ear with the other. It was an astonished 
boy that scrambled to his knees, for his uncle's 
gentle tap had keeled him over. He started to 
remonstrate and explain; but his uncle in a hoarse 
whisper, hold him to keep his own mouth shut 
and to leave the cub's closed also. 



128 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

A suppressed titter was now heard from Earl. 
He had regained his composure. He tittered 
until he snickered. Halstead's arm shot out and 
a resounding smack was planted on the side of 
the young man's face. Silence reigned, as supreme 
as it had the day before when they had been 
hypnotized into quietude by Seth's soothing yarn 
about the echoes of Chub pond. 

Events had moved quickly. Their retreat had 
been orderly, though it could not have been said 
to have been scientific, for it had not been planned 
according to the rules of warfare. Earl's frenzied 
efforts at concealing their baggage, as is often 
the case, was the means of halting the retreat, to 
await developments outside of the danger zone. 

It was a tedious wait. The mother bear lum- 
bered into sight at about the moment Halstead 
had spoken his admonition to "duck". All three 
had simultaneously dropped out of sight in the 
bushes, and the old bear had not seen them. Dur- 
ing the momentary exercise of supressive discipline 
she in someway discovered her treed offspring. She 
immediately put on the emergency brake and her 
lumbering, noisy but rapid progress through the 
forest came to an abrupt stop. 

First the old bear gazed at her child aloft, with 
but a ponderous raising of her great head. Then 
she sat up In good, approved bear fashion and 



The Mother Bear Appears 129 

deliberately looked at him and his situation for a 
full two minutes, not moving a muscle or flecking 
a hair or batting an eye. Her fore legs extended 
straight out from her body with the paws hanging 
down at an acute angle. The attitude and poise 
was so exactly typical of a scolding, gossipy woman 
who is excited and surprised, that Halstead half 
expected to hear such an exclamation as "land 
sakes" or "dew tell" or even "law suz", come 
floating up the trail. He was not able to suppress 
a mild chuckle as it was. 

At this Earl exclaimed in a suppressed under- 
tone, "Now what are you laughing at? Sposing 
she comes up here?" 

"Oh, but if she comes we won't leave the cub 
will we?" asked the Kid anxiously. 

"Sh-sh" admonished Halstead. 

"Come and let us clear out of here", said Earl. 

"Not unless we take the cub" snapped the Kid. 

It looked for an instant as if a wordy war or 
scrap was on. But a warning gesture from Hal- 
stead, in which he held out both hands, palms 
facing each other and moved them back and forth, 
and they kept still again. His effective discipline 
at the start was sufficient; they decided to keep 
cool, and with their older and more experienced 
kinsman, to await developments. This he had 
decided to do. With his experience and know- 



130 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

ledge of the black bear of the North Woods he 
knew there was no particular danger. That they 
could leave the cub and get away, If she persisted 
in coming their way, looking for it. 

After a minute or two of gazing at each other, 
on part of the old bear and her cub in the tree, 
the latter seemed to tire of the maternal scrutiny. 
He deliberately turned his back on the mother 
and proceeded to climb to another part of the 
tree and stretch himself comfortably along a 
limb. Yet the mother seemed to take no 
offense at this. She proceeded to nose around 
the foot of the tree among the leaves. The two 
youths watching decided she was smelling about 
trying to get trace of her missing cub, and grave 
misgivings for their safety overcame them. But 
they were groundless. She soon found a bit of 
rotten log and began to claw it apart and lick up 
the grubs it contained. 

Having obtained the tempting morsels it afford- 
ed, she gave an Indifferent glance up the tree at 
her offspring, and went to the tree next to It and 
began to sharpen her claws. The noise from this 
energetic action of Its mother disturbed the cub, 
and he roused himself and clambered down to the 
lower limbs of his tree and peered down to see 
what his mother was up to. This and these with 
similar performances were kept up for fully half 



The Mother Bear Appears 131 

an hour. 

Finally the old bear sat up and took another 
long look at her loftily situated child. This time 
her mesmeric gaze and influence seemed to pre- 
vail. The cub turned tail again. But instead of 
climbing to higher things, he carefully backed 
down to the ground where he was greeted with a 
mild woof from his mother. After a moment of 
interchange of bearish greetings, in the way of 
pokes with the nose from the mother, and a rolling 
around on his back on the part of the cub, they 
both disappeared in the brush. 

"Whew" exclaimed the Kid in a low voice, 
"you don't mean to say she has sneaked?" 

"Wait and see, wait and see" admonished 
Halstead. 

They waited for another ten minutes. Then 
Halstead got out and went forward to explore. 
He came back immediately and said it was safe 
to proceed. The old bear and cub had taken a 
course at a right angle to the trail they were 
following, and unless she cut back, they would see 
nothing more of them.* 

Halstead, already the bearer of the heaviest 
pack of the party, together with his extra large 
creel with the precious tpail of worms, fairly 

*Some may doubt sucli an experience. Frank Tracy, 
Supervisor of the town of Forestport, Oneida Co., N. Y., 
had an experience of which this story is the substance. 



132 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

staggered under the added weight of the bear. 
However he managed It well, by slinging the little 
fellow over a shoulder and allowing the greater 
part of his body to rest on the top of the pack- 
basket. 

Having assisted him to adjust the load to his 
satisfaction, Earl fell in behind with the Kid 
bringing up the rear. That worthy hunched his 
pack frequently, indicative of great personal satis- 
faction, approaching happiness. He said little, 
but smiled and nodded to himself many times, in 
a satisfied way. True his grimaces attracted no 
attention, because there was no one to see. On 
Broadway the little procession would have attract- 
ed attention of itself. But the Kid's face would 
have arrested the attention of a psychologist. It 
was a hunch and a smile, as has been hinted, of 
complete contentment. 

"Whew, what a mountain in the woods" ex- 
claimed Earl, when, after nearly an hour's tramp- 
ing, as they were descending a slope, they caught 
sight of a grand mountain looming up directly in 
front of them, discernible above the tree tops on 
all sides of them. 

"That certainly is the biggest mountain we have 
seen so far," declared the Kid, peering around the 
column, and sighting the cub, as much as he saw 
the mountain. 



The Mother Bear Appears 133 

Halstead in a reverie of will power and brute 
force exertion, awoke at the boys' remarks, sought 
a stump, and resting his load on it, removed his 
hat and wiped his perspiring forehead. 

"Well, I believe I am a bigger fool even than 
Joe Coote was, when he compared himself to a 
mule" he said, with a long drawn out breath of 
relief at being able to ease his back of the load. 

"Who was Joe Coote?" inquired the ever in- 
quisitive Kid. 

"A big French Canadian guide who worked 
over to Bussby lodge the year I was there" an- 
swered Halstead. 

"But what did he do that was foolish," enquired 
the mild and tactful Earl. 

"Well he compared himself to a mule, and he 
did not tote live stock through the woods either," 
explained Halstead, as he removed the cub from 
his shoulders and laid him none too gently on the 
ground. It had borne patiently. Its rather jolting 
ride through the woods and now lay as patiently 
still. In Its funny dress and leashlngs of grey hunt- 
ing coat, red bandana handkerchief and russet 
leather strap. He blinked up curiously at his 
captors, as he lay on his side. 

Halstead leaned back comfortably now, against 
his pack basket as It was supported by the stump. 
Calling their attention to the mountain that had 



134 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

drawn forth their comments, he said: 

"Boys, that mountain is no bigger if it is as 
big as many we have come over to-day and some 
yesterday, particularly. You are deceived again, 
as you were about the mountains along Mink lake. 
We have gone over at least three ranges since 
we left Seth's, day before yesterday, all as fully 
as high. One Chesuncook was higher, only you 
did not see it, but were on top of it. The forest 
covers them." 

"Oh, it is like Yankee Doodle who couldn't see 
the town because there were so many houses", 
quoted the Kid. 

"Precisely," assented Halstead," only do not 
interrupt your uncle when he is trying to impart 
some information in the science of topography" 
he added severely. 

"What about the mountain ahead of us" asked 
Earl, "isn't it in a valley?" 

"Ah, no; but you are improving in mountain 
knowledge wonderfully for a New Jersey mud 
drake" remarked his counsin. "It is not in a 
valley, but lies across a valley. It is about the 
same height as the mountain we are descending 
now. It is because the valley lies between us, 
that we can see it so vividly through the trees. 
It is over two miles away. South branch runs 
through the valley. Jewett's brook lies off to the 



The Mother Bear Appears 135 

right" he said with emphasis, "and we are about 
a mile from the Hatchery." 

"Hurrah, let's hustle on" said the Kid, spring- 
ing up, "we'll be there In no time." 

"Not so fast, not so fast, youngster" said his 
uncle. "Just remember that for the last few 
miles I have been weighted down like Joe Coote, 
and with live stock to-boot" he repeated, as he 
glanced at the club lying on the ground. 

"Oh yes: I want to know how he was foolish" 
spoke up Earl. "Joe I mean, not you," he added 
diplomatically. 

"A good Idea Is that," said Halstead. "So 
compose yourselves and listen. For It conveys a 
good lesson of consideration for others, which 
many people forget, especially in the woods, 
among both the rich and poor, snobs and plain 
folks too. When they are home and In their 
right minds they do not seem so thoughtless and 
selfish. Now the case of Joe Coote Is an extreme 
one, I will admit but it is a true one for I saw It". 

The Kid who had slipped out of his pack, 
observing that his uncle meant to take a long 
rest, now began to fondle the cub. Earl slipped 
out of his own shoulder straps, and both listened 
attentively to Halstead's recital of Joe Coote's 
rebuke to his temporary lord and master's really 
unconscious imposition on him. 



136 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

"It was the year we were surveying through 
here and were putting up at the Guide house at 
Bussby," said Halstead. "The Lodge was full 
of guests, among them a few of the snobbish kind, 
who have no Idea of anything serious. It seems; 
only the having of a good time. It shows Itself 
most frequently In their attitude towards servants. 
Joe Coote the guide concerned In the Incident was 
a big powerful fellow and could carry an enor- 
mous load. Jack Wills who managed the place 
that year, picked him to guide a party of silly 
simpletons, young fresh guys and twittering girls 
who were going to tramp over to Grindstone 
meadows for a day's frolic and pastime, with a 
meal In the open. 

"The party had Its traps piled on the veranda 
where you waited Earl, and It was enough to 
load two men. But Joe tackled It like a major. 
Besides a pack basket there was a camera and a 
dozen plates In a case, two fish baskets, some 
rods and an umbrella or two. 

"Joe loaded patiently and scientifically. He 
slung a fish basket from each shoulder, fastened 
the camera and case outfit to the back of the pack 
basket, slung that on and gathered up the rods 
and precious umbrellas and started off. He had 
just gotten down the steps when one of the young 
ladles (I suppose she was) came out with a 



The Mother Bear Appears 137 

bundle and handed It to Wills. He called Joe 
back to put it in the pack. Joe came back, un- 
slung and helped to stow the package away in the 
basket. Then he slung it on and again started 
off. He had got down the walk a little way when 
Wills called to him again. This time one of the 
young men wanted his field glasses, and a toy 
kind of a fancy hatchet put in the pack. Joe came 
back and good naturedly slid off the basket and 
set it down while the things were put in. It was 
fearfully heavy and clumsy too, with the photo 
outfit tied on behind. But he tossed it up, slipped 
his arms into the straps and started off once more. 
But Wills called him back once more, before he 
had gone a rod. This time two of the butterflies 
of the party wanted some things put In. One a 
box of marsh mallows and another a package of 
maple sugar. 

"Joe was a patient Frenchy, but this time he 
showed a trace of irritation. He just backed up 
against the veranda and resting the basket on the 
railing, let Wills crowd the things in. Then he 
straightened up, took a few steps down the walk, 
stopped, and turning slowly around, said, 

" 'Meester Wills, you have forgotten ze im- 
portant, ze most Important ting'." 

" 'Oh no Joe. That is all. You can go now. 
The young people will pass you on the trail." 



138 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

"But still Joe persisted, *0h yez, Meester 
Wills, ze great ting is forgotten, I do most azzure 
you'. 

" 'Well, what is it'? Wills snapped out. 
" 'Oh yez, ze most important ting iss forgot, 
entire' Joe drawled out; and he turned to go, 'you 
haz forgot my oats' he fired out, as he went on." 

"Good enough" exclaimed the Kid, who had 
been listening attentively, for all his caressing the 
cub. 

"And what did the sports carry?" asked Earl. 

"Oh, they were burdened with a freak walking 
stick apiece which they had cut the first day they 
came," answered Halstead. "Come" he added 
briskly, "let us start along and we will be to the 
Hatchery in twenty minutes. It is all down hill". 

With Joe Coote's heavy freight in mind, their 
moderate loads seemed light even on the end of 
the long journey. In just twenty minutes to a 
dot, they were shedding them on the veranda of 
the Hatchery. 



CHAPTER XI 

THE HATCHERY 

IN one respect the Club adhered to an old 
custom of the woods, even though It might be 
inconoclastic in other actions. This was in the 
important matter of having a cache for the keys 
to those of its outlying lodges or camps that were 
kept locked. . Seth Egan had confided to Hal- 
stead that he knew where the key to the Game 
Keeper's lodge at the head of Mink lake was 
concealed. It was so placed, that when the Keep- 
er was away, passing employees or possible mem- 
bers who happened along might avail themselves 
of the modest shelter and comforts it afforded. 
At Bussby, Halstead had received careful instruc- 
tions as to locating the key to the Hatchery. 

Naturally the Kid and Earl were anxious to 
enter and explore. Halstead on the contrary, was 
tantalizingly and deliberately interested in the 
trees immediately surrounding the Hatchery parti- 
cularly those in front of the porch. He walked 
about, gazing at their tops and carefully noting 
their roots. 

139 



140 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

"I say uncle, how do we get In", exclaimed the 
ever Inquisitive Kid, who, after trying all the 
windows as well as the door, found every thing 
fastened down tight. 

Earl, pretty well exhausted, had thrown him- 
self on to a rustic seat and was too busy resting 
just at that moment, to take any Interest In what 
was going on. At length however, he noted his 
cousin's Interest In the trees and petulantly re- 
marked that he might better be letting them Into 
the fine camp, than studying trees. 

*'Yes, and if you do not unlock the door pretty 
soon, I will smash a window pane and pull out 
the nail that fastens 'em down, and get In that 
way" said the Kid. "You have the key haven't 
you?" he Inquired confidently. 

"Nop, that's something I overlooked, answered 
Halstead briskly, as he continued the digging at 
the roots of a hemlock stub, where he had just 
begun that operation. 

A groan from Earl and a prolonged whistle 
from the Kid greeted this announcement. Dis- 
gusted at his carelessness, they fell to making crit- 
ical remarks on his momentary occupation. 

"What you digging for anyway"? "Look 
out for snakes". "Digging for worms maybee:" 

These were some of the remarks passed by his 
two auditors. At last when he had turned up 



The Hatchery 141 

an old half pound baking powder tin, he arose 
and showed the boys his find. It was greeted 
with sneers and jeers, and they positively turned 
up their noses. But when he removed the rusty 
cover and produced a key, their scoffing turned 
to paeans of praise, as they scrambled to their feet 
and awaited for him to unlock the door to the 
sacred precincts of the Hatchery. 

It was a substantial and well equipped place. 
The porch, where they had enjoyed their short 
rest, was on a level with the edge of the ravine 
where the building was situated. Extending out 
to the very edge of the brook that ran along the 
bottom of the ravine, the building had a basement 
as it were, where the rearing troughs and other 
paraphernalia for the hatching and rearing of 
trout were located. A large, pleasant room, al- 
coved by dormer windows on two sides, was their 
first pleasing vision. A large round table, two 
rocking chairs and other chairs, with a stone fire- 
place, together with a lounge, luxuries for the 
woods, greeted their eyes. Two bedrooms, each 
with substantial iron bedsteads, springs and 
mattress were quickly discovered. Next a din- 
ing room and another table. 

This room had a "regular extension table" as 
the Kid expressed it, he having "ducked under" 
to examine. A cupboard with glass door re- 



142 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

vealed china and silver ware. Beyond was a 
kitchen with a range adapted to wood fuel. The 
Kid was the first to discover a pump connecting 
with the brook at a sink in a corner. His investi- 
gation of this, and a shout for water to prime it, 
led Earl to open the rear door in the kitchen. 
Another and most charming surprise was theirs. 

The ground floor of the building at the rear 
and near the middle of the ravine, was some thirty 
feet above the waters of the little brook. From 
the kitchen door a rustic bridge with railings had 
been built, across to the other side. There, there 
were several small log buildings. Across the 
bridge the Kid scampered at top speed, intent on 
further explorations and discoveries. 

Halstead was familiar with the place, but he 
generously allowed the boys all the time they 
wanted to explore and investigate. He busied 
himself by unpacking and arranging their things. 
So for half an hour the boys made frantic and 
then more leisurely and thorough examinations 
and inspections. They came back every few 
minutes to report to him in a more or less excited 
manner. 

Thus they found two bed rooms in the "up 
stairs". Halstead explained that they were for 
guides. In the cellar or basement below the main 
floor they found and counted the rearing troughs, 



The Hatchery 143 

and the Kid, ascertaining which was the proper 
valve, was for turning on the water to test the 
circulation. But upon Earl's report of this idea, 
Halstead gave orders "once and for all" that 
nothing was to be disturbed about the place. They 
discovered great quantities of old magazines In a 
cupboard In one of the bed rooms. This pleased 
them mightily, as insuring a good supply of read- 
ing matter for the evenings. Just as they were 
wondering if they were to occupy the beds with- 
out bedding, the Kid poked his nose into a huge 
chest in the attic and found It filled with blankets 
and pillows. Rendered mice and squirrel proof 
by being lined with tin, they readily understood 
why the bedding was packed there. They were 
even made glad on finding a huge store of dry, 
well seasoned fire wood in the "wood shed" that 
constituted one of the out buildings across the 
ravine. 

"That let us out" they agreed. For during 
the gay and hurried preparations for the trip in 
John Handle's cottage, away down on the Long 
Island shore of the Atlantic, Halstead had warned 
them that the lot of getting fire wood, would be 
theirs. This, In their zeal and eagerness, they 
had readily assented to; but now, they were re- 
lieved just the same to find fire wood on hand. 

But there is no pleasure unaccompanied by pain ; 



144 ^^^ Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

the pain of the mind or heart. On reporting the 
discovery to Halstead, he at once ordered them to 
"fill the wood boxes", which they did like 

"School boys creeping unwillingly to school." 

Their zeal and excitement of novelty had 
caused them to entirely forget the cub, until the 
Kid, coming in with an armful of wood, announced 
he had found a comfortable stable with hay in it, 
which he explained as he let the sticks of wood 
fall into the box with a crash was "just the place 
for Billy". 

"And who is Billy?" enquired Halstead; "that 
red headed brother of the little girl you were 
sweet on at home?" 

"Sweet nothing" retorted his nephew spiritedly. 
"I mean the cub of course. Oh, I forgot all about 
him" he added, as he dropped the last stick with 
another crash and a clatter. With that he rushed 
out to the porch. But the cub, alas, was not to 
be seen. 

Yet it had not been forgotten by his friend 
and master Halstead. He had early relieved the 
little fellow of his gag, bonds and confining coat. 
Making a collar of his belt, he had tied the cub 
securely to a post of the veranda. Of course 
the little brute had made use of his limited free- 
dom to crawl to the edge of the porch, where, 
being benumbed no doubt from his long cramped 



The Hatchery 145 

and bound condition, he clumsily tumbled off, and 
hung suspended In mid air. 

"Oh Billy Is gone, Billy Is gone" yelled the 
startled Kid, In genuine anguish, as he made for 
the kitchen. 

Halstead knew he had fastened the cub securely, 
but thought It well to Investigate In response to 
his nephew's agonized cries. He espied the rope, 
divined the real situation and went over and drew 
the little beast up by the neck. 

"Oh, Billy Is dead, Billy Is dead" wailed the 
Kid, as he saw the cub drawn up in the way 
described. 

He was not dead however. He proved to be 
very much alive and frisky in a moment after he 
was set on his feet again. But the name the Kid 
had thus given him, impressed and emphasized 
by this "near tragedy" stuck to him. As Billy 
he was known from that time, and is so known 
to-day, in Central Park, where he Is enjoying his 
old age. 

The excitement and novelty of exploring every- 
thing from cellar to attic as It were, having been 
allowed the proper outlet, Halstead "piped all 
hands on deck", in this instance, It being the 
general room. To the Kid's Ineffable delight, he 
was assigned the task (and honor) of "wetting 
the first line" In the brook. He told him, as he 



146 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

apportioned some worms, that he would find the 
fishing quite equal to what little fishing he had 
done on the trout streams on Long Island. With 
a grin of satisfaction, almost equal to that which 
he grinned when the cub had been securely cap- 
tured, the Kid made his way to the stream. 

Besides the usual condiments of a kitchen In 
the way of pepper, salt and mustard, a previous 
party occupying the Hatchery had left a liberal 
quantity of stuff. There was some coffee and tea, 
sugar, a quantity of flour and meal, a lot of onions 
and what the manager of Bussby lodge had said 
he "thought" was there, and proved to be, a bag 
of potatoes. They are heavy things to pack 
through the woods and over the mountains. Hal- 
stead had "chanced It", and lo, his chance proved 
good. He now directed Earl to prepare some 
of them by washing them, and cutting off the ends. 
This Is the very best way to boll the wholesome 
vegetable. In the skins, v/Ith the ends just clip- 
ped, to admit of the skins cracking open with the 
expansion of the entire tuber. Thus the nourish- 
ing starch Is retained, Instead of being peeled off 
and thrown away, or fed to swine. 

One of the first things Halstead had done, after 
their arrival was to start a fire In the cook stove 
and fill the "tea kettle" with water to boll. An 
experienced camp cook will always get his fire 



The Hatchery 147 

started and water heating and his cooking utensils 
warmed, as the very first steps to preparing a 
meal. It makes half an hour's difference. If he 
acts Intelligently, in this and other directions, even 
this time can be reduced. 

He will not be like a "short order" cook a 
party of friends of mine once brought to my camp, 
to take the cooking duties off their hands. Visions 
of speedy breakfasts, quick luncheons and sub- 
stantial dinners awaiting their arrivals from trips 
on late afternoons, filled their Imagination. 

Ah: but they were visions only. The week 
slipped by, and so did the dreams. The poor 
fellow had always cooked over gas, so he had 
to learn the crankiness and unevenness of a fire of 
wood. Scalding hot water was always on tap 
from the boiler. In the restaurant. He had to 
learn how long It took to bring a gallon or so 
of water, fresh from the spring, to come to a boil. 
The cooking of potatoes in a restaurant, had 
always been a side line, to be served later as "hash 
brown"; so Irvie did not know how long It took 
to boil potatoes until they were done. 

Irvle's crowning defeat came about the sixth 
day. According to the exasperated orders of the 
steward of the party he was to "begin to hustle the 
supper along", when the boats of the returning 
fishermen should appear around a certain point on 



148 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

the lake. He obeyed in the letter but not In the 
spirit. He laid the firewood in the stove. He 
washed and prepared a kettle full of potatoes, 
covering them with water fresh from the spring. 
He ground coffee, and otherwise made ready. 
Then he sat down on the porch of the camp to 
watch the point. As the sun was sinking, the 
fleet of row boats appeared off the point. Irvie 
applied a match to his fire and put on his kettle of 
murphys. In twenty minutes, the confident, ex- 
pectant fishermen, wet, tired and hungry, were 
at the camp, clamoring for supper. The water 
In the great kettle of potatoes was just begin- 
ning to bubble, while the tubers were as sound 
and firm as when they were dug from the bosom 
of mother earth. It takes about forty five minutes 
to cook a kettle of potatoes, starting with cold 
water, cold kettle and cold stove, even though the 
fire is roaring. You can guess the expressions of 
the members of the party, as they waited an hour 
for the supper they thought would be ready on 
their arrival. Halstead a veteran camper and 
camp cook always calculated to the minute, what 
time it took to get his meal, beginning with a stove, 
cold, heated or only mildly warm, and with other 
things accordingly. 

After getting some blankets out to air and 
otherwise attending to things In their cheery domi- 



The Hatchery 149 

die, Halstead went to the kitchen to continue 
the preparation for supper. Earl had dressed 
the potatoes and joined his cousin fishing on the 
brook. The spuds were boiling merrily however. 
By the time Halstead had ground the coffee and 
mixed It with an egg, of which there were a dozen 
In a cupboard, and sliced up some bacon to get 
grease to fry the trout, he was confident the 
boys would get, the potatoes were softening 
under their violent boiling, so that a table fork 
could be thrust through them with no effort at all. 

Seizing a tin pan, he Improvised a dinner gong, 
stepped out on the bridge and beat a lively tattoo, 
the dull sounds contrasting strangely with the 
gentle murmur of the brook below, and reechoing 
sharply up and down the lovely ravine, bedecked 
with varied green, with patches of the darker 
green here and there where a clump of balsam 
or spruce cast a shadow. To this was added 
the black patches of pools In the brook, with here 
and there, down the glen, white patches of foam, 
marking the rifts of the stream. 

The boys heard and heeded. Earl with re- 
luctance. This was easily accounted for by the 
marvelous luck of the Kid, and the Indifferent 
success of Earl. The Kid, all excitement, had 
eighteen beauties to show for his half hour of 
whipping the stream. 



150 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

"Oh Uncle, it's simply alive with'em" he ex- 
claimed, as he dumped his catch on the table and 
began to count and arrange them in orderly and 
beautiful array. 

"Yes, it may be lousy with them, but I cannot 
get them" said Earl, disconsolately, "I only got 
two of the pests". 

"But you wern't out so long as I was" exclaimed 
the Kid generously. 

Ah yes : We can always be generous, even In 
our judgments, when the flush of succes Is our 
own possession. The truth of the matter prob- 
ably was, that it was Earl's first try at trout 
fishing at all, while the Kid had had some experi- 
ence In the streams of his own native county in 
Long Island. 

Twenty trout, all over seven inches, in less than 
half an hour was indeed a very satisfactory initial 
catch. Reserving half of them for breakfast the 
rest were quickly in the frying pan cooking, while 
the coffee was a boiling in the pot. As the trout 
were frying they curled and twisted viciously. 
Only Halstead's watchful devotion, who saw to 
keeping them covered with the bacon grease, or 
they would not have been properly cooked at all. 
Desirous to teach the boys all the tricks of the 
woods, he called their attention to this tendency 
to curl up, to confirm what he had previously told 



The Hatchery 151 

them about cooking freshly caught trout, and de- 
monstrated to them the care that must be exercised 
to properly fry the speckled beauties when they 
have been out of the water but a little while. 

Their first meal in the Hatchery was not to be 
noted for a great variety of the menu. But it 
was seasoned by the best of all things, the sauce of 
hunger. Three big trout apiece, mealy potatoes 
with thickened gravy, seeing they had flour, huge 
slabs of the fresh bread they had secured at 
Bussby, with luscious butter, coffee with evapora- 
ted cream, and a bottle of pickles for a relish. 
They ate as if they had never had had a square 
meal before. 

The odd trout from the ten they had cooked, 
they decided to try on Billy. Indeed his sustenta- 
tion loomed up as a serious problem. Halstead 
doubted if he had been entirely weaned as yet. 
But sure that sweets would appeal to him, he 
recklessly opened a can of the cheaper brand of 
condensed milk and mixed it with water and sugar. 
He had a ''mess" that certainly appealed to the 
captive cub. He lapped it all up and sniffed 
about and finally sat up as if for more. But he 
would not touch the odd trout. Halstead said it 
was because of the salt in the bacon grease. The 
Kid tried him with bread crumbs and Earl with 
cold potatoes. He nibbled at both encouragingly. 



152 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

so that they had good hopes that they could keep 
him from starvation. 

Interest in Billy and his physical welfare was 
50 pronounced that the task of dish washing 
threatened to go by the boards; but Haktead call- 
ed all hands to "swab the deck" and the work was 
quickly disposed of. 

Night closed gently upon them, bringing the 
impressive forest stillness, broken by the sweet 
murmur of the brook as it babbled its way past 
the lodge. Owls hooted occasionally. As lamps 
were lighted, Billy the cub began to whine; 
probably as much from lonesomeness as homesick- 
ness. At the Kid's importunities he was brought 
into the main room for the night, instead of being 
relegated to the stable across the bridge. An 
old coat was found and spread in a dark corner, 
and Billy was soon in the dream land of beardom. 

All was peaceful and impressively calm. At 
the little camp where they had spent the night 
before, they had indeed been impressed by the 
sense of isolation, that they were deep in the 
wilderness, far from any other human beings. But 
it was more oppressive that impressive. The rare 
air of the very high altitude, combined with the 
cold, repelling waters of the lake, under the pale 
moon, gave them a sense of their own infinitesimal 
selves, among those vast mountains. 



The Hatchery 153 

Not so this night. The cheerfully lighted 
room of the Hatchery, a snug, substantial building 
in the forest, and a crackling fire on the hearth, 
with the cheerful music of the brook blending into 
all, and they realised indeed that they were deep 
in the woods, but with a sense of absolute security 
and contentment that overcame them. They felt 
quietly jolly and happy. 

This sense of quiet enjoyment Increased as Earl 
brought out a stack of magazines which he and 
the Kid began to quietly look over, while Halstead 
as quietly smoked. 

This quietude increased and Increased. Sud- 
denly, the magazine the Kid was looking over, fell 
to the floor and Earl was startled by a loud guff- 
aw, from Halstead. 

''Well, I think you young sports had better go 
to bed" he exclaimed. "Kids you are, both of 
you, if you cannot keep awake when you are look- 
ing at pictures". 

The Kid denied that he had been asleep and 
Earl protested that he had only "just nodded". 
Yet both were willing to follow the advice of their 
master. After procuring a "drink of water" from 
the kitchen pump, they immediately sought their 
blankets. Ere Halstead had wound his watch 
and had time to pick up a lamp to go and see, they 
both were In the sound, healthy, normal sleep of 



154 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

fatigued youth, with pure minds, and clean bodies. 
With a grin Halstead gave a last look around 
at everything, and seeing that the doors were 
fastened, following habit only in this respect, he 
sought his own room and bed, and quickly mingled 
his snores with the echoes from the bed room of 
the boys, and those from the corner of Billy the 
cub. 



CHAPTER XII 

A RUDE AWAKENING 

Qh-sh, what's that?" 

^ This was said with trembHng lips and a stam- 
mering tongue, accentuated by a severe thump on 
the ribs. 

Thus Earl was awakened in that darkest dark- 
ness, just before dawn. He sat up as he was, in 
bed, and blinked his eyes, rubbed them and blinked 
again. But he was not able to see for all that. 

He was as if every nerve, muscle, bone reflector 
and all that contributes to sight, had been shriveled 
and pulverized in his head. It took a moment 
to realize where he was. The steady murmur 
of the brook reminded him. Reaching out his 
hand (it was so dark, he could see absolutely 
nothing) it encountered the form of the Kid sit- 
ting up in bed too. He was trembling like a leaf. 
Having passed his hand over his face and stuck 
a finger in one of his eyes, Earl located his ear 
and leaned over to whisper a trembling inquiry. 
Not being able to calculate distances in the dark, 
they "bumped cocoanuts" in good style, and stars 
twinkled in the darkness for an instant. Also an 

^S5 



156 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

"ouch" from the Kid with no stammering hesi- 
tancy at all. 

The momentary distress over, the two ex- 
changed whispers. It amounted to this. That the 
Kid had been awakened by a fearful clawing, 
gratjing, sawing -and scraping noise, which he 
believed to be the mother bear after her son Billy. 
As Earl could hear nothing but the combined 
murmur of the waters of the creek and a rustle 
of the leaves In the trees, from a breeze that had 
come up, he was about to attribute it all to the 
Kid's dreams, when just such a noise as he had des- 
cribed came resounding with unmistakable clear- 
ness. It sounded in the direction of the kitchen 
door, on the bridge. 

With a bound Earl sprang out of his bed, deftly 
knocking over the lantern they had left on the 
floor. But this afforded him an easy way to 
locate It. After feeling around on a chair for 
matches he knew they had left there, he secured 
one and lighted the lantern. As its mellow rays 
of light penetrated the inky darkness of the room, 
the noise seemed to increase and be accentuated, 
until even Earl turned pale. Then it suddenly 
ceased. 

The Kid who had ceased trembling, was out of 
bed now. Without waiting to don his pants, he 
sneaked to the kitchen for an ax that he remem- 



A Rude Awakening 15-7 

bered was by the wood box. Just as he laid hold 
of the implement the noise began again. By its 
proximity now, it gave him another attack of 
shivers and he beat a hasty retreat to the bedroom, 
but clutched the ax securely. 

The noise went on intermittently while the boys 
donned their trousers. They were exasperated to 
note that Halstead slept through all the din and 
danger, as they concieved it to be. His snores 
attested to this fact. So the council of war that 
they naturally held after they had partly dressed 
resolved itself to a trip to his bedroom to awaken 
and apprise him of the danger, as the first step in 
the program. So they tip-toed their way to his 
room. 

Earl thought that the Kid, as the nearest of kin, 
should awaken and apprise the indifferent man of 
the imminent danger. This the Kid did by timid- 
ly shaking his uncle by the shoulders and saying 
in a guarded semi-quaver: 

"Wake up Uncle: Billy's mother's come and 
is trying to get in." 

In response, the sleeping head and guardian of 
the party gave a sigh, rolled over on his side and 
stopped snoring. This in a way was encouraging, 
and his nephew tried again. 

"Billy's mother's come and wants to come in" 
he almost shouted this time. 



158 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

"Oh pshaw, you mean she Is trying to get in" 
Interposed Earl, as he flashed the light of the 
lantern full Into the presistent sleeper's face. 

The flash was more effectual than the Kid's 
shake or jumble of words. He sat up at once 
and demanded to know what the rumpus was. 

In eager concert, the boys Informed him. But 
wonder of wonders, he contentedly flopped down 
among his warm blankets, only muttering "hedge- 
hogs, get back to bed." 

"No sir. Uncle" exclaimed the Kid, most re- 
spectfully. "It's Billy's mother; and she is just 
a clawing the kitchen door down, and will be In 
In a minute If you don't get up", and something 
suspiciously like a sob was mingled with his state- 
ment. Earl too, added his respectful convictions 
that It was "the old bear all right" and added the 
wish that his cousin would get up as they would 
feel safer anyway. 

The combined appeal of emotion and sober 
conviction, coupled with the appeal to his responsi- 
bility was sufl^clent. 

With a grin, Halstead slid himself out of bed 
and Into his pants and shoes, remarking the while 
that It was a wonder the cub did not respond with 
a glad cry if his mother had arrived. Taking the 
lantern, he went first to where the cub was. It 
was found curled up asleep, a perfect ball of 



A Rude Awakening 159 

black fur that fairly glistened In the light from 
the lantern. 

On ascertaining this, however, Halstead 
changed his conduct. He proceeded with great 
caution and spoke only in a whisper. Getting a 
billet of wood by the fire place and telling Earl 
to arm himself with anything he could find, and 
admonishing the Kid to see to the axe the young- 
ster still clung to, he cautiously opened the kitchen 
door a crack and peered out. Another good na- 
tured grin was In evidence behind his moustache. 
Yet It was followed Instantly by another, of the 
character of ghoulish glee. Quietly throwing the 
door wide open he sprang out and made a vicious 
whack at a small black object a few feet from the 
door sill. 

A grunt and a groan, quite like a human, greeted 
his sally. A fair sized hedge hog curled up, and 
another well aimed blow from the stove wood 
club, across Its nose and It went hurtling off the 
bridge Into the waters of the creek below, where 
Its carcass was discovered next day, and burled 
back of the barn. 

The slaughter had occurred so quickly that the 
boys did not have time to notice two more of the 
pests farther along on the bridge, but as one of 
them began to move slowly away from the scene 
of danger. It was espied by the Kid. He had re- 



i6o The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

covered his courage by this time; and with a cry 
"let me at him" he rushed to the fray. 

Resounding whacks across the back of the re- 
treating hedge hog were duly delivered by the Kid. 
But they only served to knock a few handfuls of 
quills from his back, and they were scattered well 
along the walk of the bridge. At the same mo- 
ment Earl discovered another, and with a yell, 
"he's my meat" he too began to knock quills loose 
from his selected victim. 

For the next two or three moments there was 
(for the boys) an exciting chase of the two un- 
fortunate porcupines, the boys belaboring them 
with all the strength of their youthful energies. 
Halstead followed up with the lantern and ex- 
horted them to "go to It", and to "hit them on the 
nose". 

As the end of the bridge was reached, Earl 
succeeded, by the sheer brute force of his sturdy 
college blows. In killing his. The Kid's escaped In 
the darkness and bushes, both facilitating the poor 
animals escape. Another was discovered In the 
door of the wood house, but escaped the combined 
efforts of the lads to kill him, by simply rolling 
down the bank. But their blood was up and 
they were for hunting hedge hogs the rest of the 
night, but Halstead called them off, ordering them 
back to camp and to bed. 



A Rude Awakening i6i 

As the boys extinguished the lantern they noted 
that they were able to distinguish objects in the 
room. The Kid, always rather philosophical, re- 
marked upon it, quoted the old saw that "the 
darkest hour is just before dawn" and proposed 
that they stay awake to see if it really got darker 
or lighter. 

"Humph, you can if you want to, I am going 
to bed," snorted Earl, as he kicked off his shoes 
and proceeded to undress. 

The Kid, on second thought followed his ex- 
ample, and soon both were sound asleep again. 

Exactly three and one quarter hours after the 
events above recorded, or at seven o'clock, the 
boys were awakened from their second sound 
sleep, this time by Halstead's beating of the tin 
pan. Somewhat ashamed at their sleeping so 
late, and positively so at the thoughts of their 
foolish fright of the night, they quickly prepared 
for breakfast; and after eating, they most obe- 
diently followed their mentor's direction, and 
cleaned and put their attractive forest apart- 
ments in perfect order. 

Billy the cub had already had a substantial 
breakfast of condensed milk with bread crusts 
soaked In it. But he declined the left over pan 
cakes. Halstead said he would overcome his 
aversion to such things as time wore on and he 



1 62 The Story of a Pass in the Ad'irondacks 

became used to the ways of civilized society. While 
the boys were washing the dishes and sweeping 
out, Halstead took the cub to the stable across 
the bridge, tied him securely, and fastened every 
entrance, more to protect the little fellow, than 
to prevent his escape. Then he returned to the 
Hatchery proper and prepared luncheon and got 
things ready for a day's outing. He proposed that 
they not fish the brook at all, unless they had no 
luck on the trip he proposed. This was to fish 
the still water of the river which the brook that 
flowed past the Hatchery emptied Into. 

Any plan Halstead proposed was agreeable to 
the boys. So at eight o'clock each shouldered his 
fish basket, buckled on his can of natural bait, 
worms, in case flies did not take, and they were 
prepared. The boys to "follow the leader" 
withersoever he led them. Locking the front 
door and depositing the key In its proper place, 
for any possible wayfarer, he led the way down 
the trail to the river, less than a quarter of a mile 
away. 

In their successful fishing of the evening before, 
the boys had not gone out of sight of the Hatch- 
ery, as they whipped the little stream. They were 
surprised therefore at its character and extent. 
The trail ran along Its very edge, most of the way. 
Every rod seemed to offer increasingly attractive 



A Rude Awakening 163 

pools and rifts into which they could cast with 
ease, as they walked along. As they would see 
a red flash and hear the splash of an eight or 
nine inch trout, as it jumped for a fly in some 
dark pool, they begged and implored Halstead 
to go no farther; but to be content to spend the 
forenoon anyway, fishing right there. But Hal- 
stead was adamant in his decision. He resolutely 
led them on past the alluring pools and attracting 
rifts, to the river bank. 

Where the creek joins the river, there is a 
charming clearing of some considerable extent, 
all covered with grass. Earl noted that it was 
not of the wire or beaver variety found in the 
woods and remarked upon it. Halstead there- 
upon explained to the boys that the clearing was a 
remnant of one of the many clearings established 
by Brown and his son in law, Herschoff, in their 
efforts to subdue and open the Adirondack wilder- 
ness to settlers a hundred years before. The 
region they were now in, was a part of the orginal 
John Brown's Tract, so called. He was a mer- 
chant and speculator of Providence. He acquired 
the tract in one of his land deals and had caused 
a road to be built through it, to what is now known 
as Old Forffe. It ran from the Mohawk vallev. 
Patches were cleared along the way and settlers 
placed. The route of this road had been right 



164 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

through where they were now. He had estab- 
lished a ford across the river there, which is at 
the beginning of the rough water and the end of 
the smooth or "still water". One of the farms 
was opened here by the ford. The "tame" grass 
and the "quack" still growing, were evidences of 
It. In some of the still descernible traces of other 
clearings, Halstead averred he had heard of aged 
and gnarled apple trees contesting with the wild 
woods of the forest, though he rather doubted 
this. 

But the boys were more interested in the pros- 
pects of fishing than in the history of the tract. 
They gave indifferent heed to Halstead while he 
related the foregoing, and urged that they embark. 
One of the metal boats was at the landing, await- 
ing them, as it were. Indeed, there were several. 
One utilized on a "ferry line" that had been rigged 
up, with a rope on pulleys, from tree to tree on 
the two banks. -The Kid was for testing and 
examining it, but was vetoed by both Earl 
and Halstead, and they embarked in the best boat 
available. The Kid was ordered to the bow, Earl 
was permitted to row, and Halstead acted as 
coxswain at the stern. 

It was a perfect day and their environments 
were practically so. The broad expanse of the 
silent river wound lazily and turned deliberately. 



A Rude Awakening 165 

The shores on either side were densely wooded. 
A crane or heron would quietly rise and fly away 
at their approach. Two otters at play in the 
water by their slide on a high bank, did not seem 
disturbed as they passed. They only ceased their 
sport and blinked and gazed placidly at the in- 
truders. 

Earl caught the Infection of quietude and even 
the Kid ceased wriggling and stopped his incessant 
questioning. The oarsman rowed slowly and 
with no admonition from the coxswain to go slow. 
The Kid stretched out in the bow, and Halstead 
smoked placidly. 

However, at a scrutiny of his map, spread 
out on his knees, and a glance ahead, Halstead 
finally took up his paddle and steered the boat 
close into the shore of a sharp, wide bend. The 
high shore was thickly over hung with trees, cast- 
ing a deep, twilight shade, over the water. There 
was just sufficient current in the stream to drive 
their boat against the bank and keep It there, 
without their tying or anchoring. 

"Now then" said Halstead, as he took up his 
rod and affixed a fly. 

That was all he said; but he said it reverently, 

almost in a whisper. And moved by the dark 

canopy overhead and the dark, mildly rippling 

waters below, it put the finishing touches of awe on 



1 66 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

Earl and the Kid. They awaited his cast with 
bated breath. 

Halstead was a veteran caster. The fly made 
just the faintest of a ripple on the water, and 
rested there for an instant. Yes, two instants, 
ten seconds. Halstead was just beginning to 
draw the line up so as to skip the fly along the 
water when something happened. There was a 
leap and a splash; a splash, that in the silence of 
the time and place, sounded as if part of a moun- 
tain had been cast into the pool by some giant 
hand. 

The caster gave a quick, dexterous twitch to his 
rod, and then a positively strong jerk. Then his 
line began to hiss through the guides and his reel 
to buzz like a muffled door bell. He permitted 
this to continue for but a moment, when with his 
left hand he began to pull in the line from the 
rod, in great loops, yet keeping it taut on the 
trout. The tip of his rod bent like a whale bone 
horse whip, but he seemed not to care. 

As they had discussed Seth Egan's methods of 
landing black bass as the old man had described 
it, Halstead had explained to the boys the advant- 
age of quick and immediate landing, over the 
popular method of tiring a fish out. He de- 
monstrated now, and successfully. 

He unhesitatingly brought the head of that 



A Rude Awakening 16'] 

trout out of the water and drew it slowly towards 
the boat; and while it stirred up the water, like 
a steam boat, at first, his tackle was strong, and 
by the time it was along side of the boat and 
had been dipped up in the landing net, it had 
practically, ceased its struggles altogether. 

Seth's method proved good all day. Halstead 
explained that an old French Canadian had both 
demonstrated and explained this as the best 
method of securing big and gamy fish, when 
they were securely hooked. The holding of their 
heads out of the water in reality acted as an apha- 
sia. It put them to sleep, by the excess of oxygen. 
A fish is normal, only in his normal element, water. 
With his head and gills out of the water for a 
few seconds, and he is as successfully put to sleep, 
as though he were etherized. This was Halstead's 
theory, as explained to the boys, and they 
observed that once a trout was hooked, and their 
tackle held, a few seconds of suspension of its 
head out of the water, and the prize was theirs. 

It was a beauty, this first catch. It measured 
sixteen and one half inches, thick and broad, 
weighing, as Halstead modestly estimated it, 
about three pounds. 

Thus was their day's noble sport begun, auspi- 
ciously, at about nine o'clock of the morning. Of 
course such big ones did not come again, even to 



1 68 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

Halstead. A few, three or four, ran as low as 
ten inches. But when they turned the bow of the 
boat down stream along in the middle of the after- 
noon, although they had only as many as the 
boys had caught the night previous, i. e., twenty, 
yet they had over twelve pounds in weight. 

And they had only fished a total of three hours, 
and only four holes. The rest of the time had 
been spent rowing leisurely from hole to hole, and 
going ashore for luncheon. Two hours had been 
spent luxuriously, this way. They lolled in the 
shade of mighty hemlocks, the age long carpet 
of needles they had deposited making a soft couch 
for a noon day nap. To the kid belonged the 
honor of catching the greatest number of trout. 
He had secured eight of the mess, to his uncle's 
seven. Earl had held his own with five, one 
approaching Halstead's in size, lacking but an inch 
and a half of coming up to the first catch of the 
day. 

The first thing on arrival at the Hatchery, was 
to arrange and photograph the result of the day's 
efforts. This was Earl's happy thought and he 
hurried all to preparation for it, as the afternoon 
sun was waning. The trout were speedily 
arranged on the bread board from the kitchen. 
With a chair for an easel, Halstead and the Kid, 
with the cub brought from his gloomy prison in 



// Rude Awakening 169 

the barn, and a picturesque group was arranged 
on the porch, with the trout as a centre piece. 

In apportioning the trout for supper, breakfast 
and even their dinner, they saw clearly that they 
had overcatched themselves. The Kid lamented 
the lack of an Ice house among all the other build- 
ings at the Hatchery. At this, Halstead's eyes 
twinkled, and he asked if they had explored a 
certain small log building down the ravine a little 
ways. No they had not. 

"Well, I would advise you to do so, and right 
away too" he remarked. 

Off they raced, and came back announcing an 
"ice house full of ice". 

"All right" was Halstead's quiet answer, "just 
take about seven pounds of the trout down there, 
and put them next to the ice, under the sawdust". 



CHAPTER XIII 

A LAZY DAY IN CAMP 

WAS It St. Francis Assisi who said "A merry 
night makes a sad morning?" 

Anyway a lazy day Is bound to breed sluggish- 
ness, especially In the woods. The quiet day on 
the river was a day of fishing It Is true. But it 
was also a day of loafing. Consequently, loafing 
was the order of the day following. The mem- 
bers of the party slept late and together they pre- 
pared a late breakfast. For even Halstead had 
Indulged In a late nap, and got up with the boys, 
instead of the sun, as was his wont. That they 
got breakfast to-gether. Is adherance to truth. 
For under his direction Earl mixed the pan cake 
batter while the Kid, his hair still uncombed, 
though otherwise complete as to his toilet, ground 
the coffee, and his uncle showed him how to mix 
an egg with the ground mass, to clarify It In good 
home style. Among other things, Halstead was 
anxious to teach his two companions, was the art 
of camp cooking. 

Be it said with shame that all the forenoon was 

170 



A Lazy Day in Ca^np 171 

occupied in doing nothing at all. Save that Hal- 
stead sat on the porch and smoked and read 
riotously in the magazines. Earl fell to specu- 
lating about the latent power that was going to 
waste in the creek, and next, fell to figuring it out. 
So he made several trips up and down the trail, 
estimating levels and figuring possible results from 
an impounding of its water by means of a dam 
across the ravine below the Hatchery. The Kid 
went gum gathering, and he too began figuring, in 
rather a vague way, the wealth he could accrue, 
by gum gathering there, and marketing in New 
York. 

Again be It said, with a semblance of reproach, 
that as the sun reached the zenith of the heavens, 
all felt the instincts, if not the pangs of hunger. 
Another batch of the trout was cooked and eaten. 
It was even so at supper, strange as it may appear. 
Seven o'clock of the afternoon of that grand day 
of loafing, found them with just enough trout 
for breakfast, and all, as lazy as ever. Nothing 
was said about the next day until well on in the 
evening, when the Kid ventured, in a dubious way, 
to enquire as to the plans for the morrow. 

"Plans did you say Kid?" enquired Halstead, 
looking up from an old magazine. 

"Yes Uncle, arn't we going to do anything to- 
morrow?" he asked a bit anxiously. 



172 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

"Do anything did you say?" exclaimed Halstead 
again; "why Kid, that Is just what we came into 
the woods for. To not do anything. To get 
away from work, to be Idle, to be lazy. To loaf, 
just as we have been doing all day". 

"No, but I mean to fish. That Isn't to do any- 
thing Is It?" asked the Kid Innocently. 

"Fishing, well there Is the creek" answered his 
uncle with a lordly wave of his hand towards its 
babbling voice as it came through the open 
windows. 

Earl too, voiced the sentiments of Halstead and 
bantered the Kid, remarking that he would be 
satisfied to do something when he had to get back 
with the rod gang, under the hot pavements of 
Park avenue. Yet Halstead did not mean a word 
of his argumentative banter. He had simply been 
overcome and had yielded to that spirit of lassi- 
tude that comes to a normal adult, on the occasion 
of a sharp and strenuous change of air and climate. 
He hastened to reassure the Kid that there would 
be plenty doing the next day, and outlined a trip 
down the river to fish on the rifts and under a 
falls a few miles below the Still Water. They 
would make a strenuous day of it, he assured both 
his companions. 

But "man proposes and God disposes". Though 
again, the events of the next day were the disposi- 



A Lazy Day in Camp 173 

tion of man: God could not be blamed for what 
occurred. In spite of good intentions all over slept 
again the following morning. Consequently their 
breakfast was late. In the midst of the prepara- 
tions for It, there appeared in the clearing, some 
sure enough Club people. They were the first of 
the species, as well as the first humans they had 
seen since leaving Bussby lodge. 

Earl and Halstead, busily engaged In the 
kitchen, heard the chatter of women's voices, into 
which was interjected occasionally the squeak of 
a high pitched tenor of a man. They gazed at 
each other In astonishment at the now strange 
sounds, and Earl nearly dropped the skillet he had 
In his hand, from sheer amazement. 

At the same moment the Kid who had been 
fishing in the creek, bounced In from the bridge 
and announced that a bunch of "snow geese" 
(women) and a man, were coming up the trail. 

To Halstead naturally fell the duty of welcom- 
ing, explaining, defending and warding off the in- 
truders, as events might develop. He stepped 
blithely to the front door, and greeted the party 
with a cheerful "good morning". 

The members, four women of assorted ages 
and sizes, had along with them, a little man, who 
appeared to be a sort of high toned guide to the 
ladies. He wore the regulation suit of sporting 



174 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

togs, carried some fishing rods, and had a tiny pack 
basket on his little, round, humped up shoulders. 
His face, adorned with side whiskers, was of the 
type of the professor. In short he looked like 
the recognized ruler of a class room, but not of a 
home. Of the ladies, each carried a stout rustic 
walking stick, while one carried a small hatchet 
and another some kind of a patent camp-luncheon- 
outfit, sold by sporting dealers. They looked like 
a party of London suffragettes, dropped down into 
the woods from a flying machine. 

One of the women, the possessor of a pair of 
square shoulders and jaws, immediately demanded 
of Halstead what he was doing there. Ere he had 
time to answer, the little man spoke up and said 
quietly "Now dear, this is my business, you must 
let me speak". 

"Yes, I know it is Mr. Van Horn, and I propose 
that you attend to it too" retorted she of the 
square shoulders and strong jaws. 

Thus addressed, Mr. Van Horn cleared his 
throat and explained that he was not only a mem- 
ber of the Club, but also a trustee and as such, 
much as it might appear discourteous and im- 
polite, he was in duty bound to ask the affable 
stranger who he was, and by what right he was 
there; not only trespassing on the Club preserve, 
but also had the effrontery to possess himself of, 



A Lazy Day in Camp 175 

and to make himself and his friends at home in 
one of the Club's most comfortable and well pro- 
tected outlying lodges, provided and kept up at 
great expense, for the exclusive delectation of the 
members and their guests. 

Having delivered himself of this extended 
speech he glanced anxiously as If for approval, at 
the woman who had started the doings, and then 
glared at Halstead, who stood stolidly, self pos- 
sessedly, even defiantly, on the veranda, a dish 
towel In his hand and a bland smile on his face. 
Clearing his throat too, he explained that he held 
a "pass" and had arranged four or five days be- 
fore for the use of the Hatchery. They were 
now occupying It as guests of their most respected 
host ; 

The name of the grantor of the pass to John 
Randle, clam digger, fisherman and coast guard 
of Long Island was a name to conjure with: Hal- 
stead knew it and Professor Van Horn knew it. 
But the latter was not to be easily or quickly sub- 
dued. In the presence of probably the ruler of 
half of his daily life, he had to make some kind 
of a show here in the woods, even though the 
public present, was small in numbers. So he drew 
himself up to the greatest height his short stature 
and the pack basket would admit of and said: 

"That is all very well sir. But do you not 



176 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 



/^ 



know that you cannot fish on our preserve while 

(mentioning the name Halstead had 

given) Is not on the preserve also? He Is now In 
Europe sir. And our rules do not permit a guest 
to fish or hunt unless the host Is on the preserve 
too; also, what Is more sir, I saw your small 
son fishing on the stream, which he has no right to 
do at all, according to pur rules. The creeks or 
streams are all closed; only the large streams, the 
lakes and ponds can be fished on the preserve. So 
sir! even If your host were on the preserve you 
could not properly pursue the avocation of fishing 
about the Hatchery here. So I warn you sir, I 
warn you." 

With this the little man bent forward to his 
pack and led the ladles through the clearing and 
up the trail out of sight. Two of them who tar- 
ried to get a drink of water, mentioned that they 
were on their way to Bussby, and then on through 
to the last club lodge or hotel, on the southern 
most point of the preserve. It was a relief to 
know that the Intruders were to pass on for good. 

The situation revealed by the statements of the 
professor, if such he was, was disconcerting to 
say the least. It was discussed as they ate break- 
fast. Although Halstead had bravely put forth 
the claim that he was "Mr. Handle," whose guest 



A Lazy Day in Camp 177 

ticket they bore, that did not help matters; for 
John's host was in Europe. Between the two rules 
the trustee had quoted, It did not appear that they 
could fish at all. Halstead studied much on the 
subject, and Earl and the Kid washed the dishes 
and did up the work very quietly, conversing only 
in subdued tones. Hanging the dish towels on the 
railing of the bridge, to dry, they silently made 
their way to the veranda to await pronouncement 
of the oracle. 

It came: Halstead appeared and announced 
that inasmuch as they had eaten the last of the 
trout of day-before-yesterday's catch, for break- 
fast, and, furthermore, as they could not and 
should not endanger their health, by eating salt 
meats when fresh fish was to be had, a catch of 
trout must be obtained for dinner at least. They 
might risk a meal of potted fawn put up by the 
P. D. Armour Company, for luncheon. 

Therefore a whistling code of signals was fixed 
on and rehearsed. Then fishing on the brook 
was resumed. A fine mess, suflicient for at least 
two or three meals, was secured in a couple of 
hour's fishing up and down. 

It was while part of this catch was preparing 
for the noon day meal, (they tabooing tinned meat 
so long as they had fish) that Halstead heard the 
sound of a heavy step on the veranda and a pon- 



lyS The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

derous tread through the general room. Knowing 
It could not come from Earl or the Kid, he hastily 
thrust the pan of sizzling trout Into the oven of 
the stove and banged the door shut, just as the 
burly form of Grimes, head game keeper for the 
Club appeared at the kitchen door. Greetings 
were exchanged, as Halstead sliced up bacon and 
dropped the wafers of fat into another hot frying 
pan he happened to have on the back of the stove. 

Casting his eye around the kitchen and noting 
only bacon in preparation, Grimes explained who 
he was, and that he only wanted to "get some- 
thing" up stairs. He came down with "nothing", 
as far as Halstead could see. But he cordially 
Invited him to stay to lunch. Upon this being 
declined, he proffered the game keeper a drink of 
bitters. This the doughty keeper did not decline, 
and after a deep draught, suggested that his com- 
panion might enjoy a snifter. This remark re- 
vealed another club lackey lounging about the ver- 
anda. He had a scythe snath resting In the hol- 
low of an arm, like a gun. He too, enjoyed the 
bitters to the extent of a second helping, upon 
which Grimes said he might take another, after 
which he must be off, although he regretted the 
pressing necessity. 

With the game keeper gone, another sigh of 
relief went up from our friends, and lunch was 



A Lazy Day in Camp 179 

duly served. A discussion of the latest develop- 
ment resulted In Halstead giving It as his opinion 
the "Professor", upon arriving at Bussby, had 
telephoned to the other and northern most club 
house at Little Deer lake and had the game keeper 
come over to investigate. This analysis of the 
situation was agreed to be the correct one, when 
they were startled by strange and new noises. 

There was a rattlety bang ring, that re-echoed 
through the clearing. Peering out of a window, 
they discovered Grimes' recent companion at the 
edge of the clearing. From somewhere he had 
procured a scythe blade and fitted it onto the snath. 
He was now sharpening Its edge with a whetstone, 
in good old fashioned style. Watching, they saw 
him begin to mow the grass around the clearing. 
Inasmuch as the grass had been recently cut, this 
new development looked suspiciously like a move 
to watch them. Halstead resolved to meet It 
with diplomacy. 

After letting the man nibble around the 
edge of the clearing for half an hour or so, Hal- 
stead approached him and suggested a cooling 
drink, concocted from spring water, sugar, lemons 
and a dash of the bitters. The haymaker was 
nothing loath, and spent the next two hours in the 
cool shelter of the porch. He proved most enter- 
taining, with his loquacious stories. They ran 



i8o The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

the whole gamut of his life, from his boyhood in 
the wilds of Canada as a "pea sonper" or French 
Canadian, to his introduction to the lite ot a lum- 
berman in Adirondack camps; his graduation from 
this, was into a valued employee and confidential 
guide of some the most prominent members of the 
Club. 

If the man was to be believed, he was fully a 
century old, as the duration and character of his 
occupations and experiences were recounted. Men 
he had served as guide since he quit being a lum- 
ber jack and became a servitor of sportsmen would 
be even older. Upon Halstead, speaking of him- 
self as John Randle, and mentioning that his 
grand father was one of the original members of 
the old Bussby Club, before its amalgamation with 
the present larger Club, their afternoon guest 
slapped his thigh and said he had guided for. the 
older Randle "forty years ago". 

The most precocious story was of a hunting ex- 
perience he had had while guiding the late Horatio 
Seymour, once governor of the Empire state, 
through the Adirondack wilds. 

According to his recital, it was in the days when 
"moose were as plentiful as deer flies in a tama- 
rack swamp". The incident happened at one of 
the back waters or swales near Lime Kiln lake. 
As he and Seymour were threading their way 



A Lazy Day in Camp i8i 

around, on the solid shores of the morass, they 
espied a gigantic bull moose across the swamp. As 
was proper, he gave his distinguished companion 
the shot. But when the smoke from the then 
black powder in use, had cleared away, the bull 
was standing as before, evidently unharmed. So 
he took a shot at it himself, not desiring that so 
noble a prize should escape them. Yet, when the 
smoke from his shot cleared, the noble creature 
had only slightly changed his position, remaining 
as fine a target as ever. Governor Seymour 
had begun to reload his rifle at the instant of his 
firing. But it was a clumsy task, compared to 
the breach loading rifles of to-day. He finished 
in an instant, however and fired the third shot at 
Mr. Moose. The guide was so dumbfounded at 
the non effect of his own shot that he did not 
begin to reload until the smoke from Seymour's 
second shot began to clear. This showed the now 
uncanny but truly distinct form of what promised 
to be their target practice for sometime, still stand- 
ing as before. 

The phenomenon of the beast withstanding two 
of Seymour's shots of unerring aim, and one from 
his own rifle which never made a miss, hastened 
him however. Both he and Seymour finished the 
intricate process of loading their muzzle rifles 
together; together they fired. For Seymour it 



1 82 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

was his third shot, and for the guide, his second. 
A total of five shots in all. 

When the dense smoke from the combined dis- 
charge of their rifles had cleared somewhat, they 
were relieved to note that the moose had either 
been effectually slain, or he had decamped. Cer- 
tain it was that he was no longer to be seen. 

It was a long and difficult task, though, to get 
around the swamp to the other side to investigate 
and satisfy themselves as to what had really been 
in the wind. It was a full hour ere they could 
make the detour around the edges of the great 
swamp, through the tangled thickets. At last 
they arrived at the spot where the moose had 
been, while they had been discharging their broad- 
sides. 

To the astonishment of the hunters, they found 
the carcasses of four great bull moose, heaped 
one upon another. So great was the size and 
weight of all of them, that the first one, shot by 
Seymour was sunk many feet into the soft mud 
of the marsh. The last one brought down by 
their combined shots. In point of weight, size and 
spread of antlers and his shaggy mane, was the 
most remarkable moose ever killed in the Adiron- 
dack mountains by a white man. 

The position and heap of the four moose was 
such, together with their great size and weight. 



A Lazy Day in Camp 183 

that tackle and blocking had to be rigged to trees 
to get them out and dress them. It was a week 
before all the meat, hides, tallow and the heads 
were gotten out. Mr. Seymour gave much of the 
meat to the Arnolds who lived at that time at the 
foot of Fulton Chain, and who helped in getting 
the carcasses out. The meat was corned or pickled 
and there was sufficient to last the family, which 
was an exceptionally large one, all winter. 

All this the lumber jack and now registered 
guide (so he said) told, with many embellishments 
and colloquial expressions. It entertained the 
boys and helped to put him in good humor; so 
Halstead let him rattle on, with story after story, 
interrupting him occasionally, to give him a drink 
of the compound. It tickled the guest when he 
called it "the Hatchery cock-tail," though he was 
quite willing to take it in lager beer doses. He 
declared he believed the bitters were good for the 
stomach, and wouldn't mind another. 

At last he took his departure, along about the 
middle of the afternoon, acknowledging that he 
had been sent to watch them, rather than to cut 
grass. But that In view of their generous hospi- 
tality, he knew they were all right, and would so 
report anyway. 

There was considerable of the afternoon left. 
Calling into use their whistling code, to use in case 



1 84 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

of possible emergency at that late hour of the day, 
they deployed on the creek again, and obtained 
sufficient trout for another meal. 



CHAPTER XIV 

earl's camera 

^ OMPETITION, It used to be said was the life of 
^^-^ trade. Opposition oftimes develops determina- 
tion. Anyway we know the overcoming of diffi- 
culties frequently adds zest to an enterprise. 

So it was to our friends marooned at their place 
of abode, by laws, rules, regulations and what not. 
The plan to fish the rifts and falls of the river, 
given life on the eve of the memorable day of the 
visitors, clamored for fulfillment. All was quiet 
on the third day, so they resolved to make a try 
at it. Preparations were carefully made, and 
plans outlined. It included a scout to go down 
the trail to the river. 

But even so ! what if Club people were en- 
countered at the landing or on the bosom of the 
Still Water itself? Their rod and baskets would 
betray their purpose to fish in spite of fancy rules 
and fine regulations, notices and warnings. A 
happy thought, an Inspiration In fact, came to Earl. 

"My camera" he said. 

Ah yes: A brilliant and grand idea that: Hal- 
stead slapped the young man on the back and 

185 



1 86 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

ordered him to bring it forthwith. And with a 
set, determined face, he led the way, boldly, down 
the trail. No precautionary scout was sent ahead. 
They tramped the short distance in a few mo- 
ments. Sure enough a Club party of fishermen 
were at the landing. They were not "mending 
their nets" like the Apostles of old; but were fixing 
their flies preparatory to casting in the Still Water. 

Halstead greeted them affably; but it was not 
reciprocated. The gentlemen responded civilly, 
but coolly, and their guides spoke in a surly man- 
ner. One of the sportsmen drew a guide aside 
and after a moment's whispered conversation, the 
hireling came over to Halstead and enquired if he 
and his friends were the party occupying the 
Hatchery. 

"Because if you be" he said, "you aint got no 
right to fish on the preserve". 

"Yes, I have heard that before", ventured Hal- 
stead as he acknowledged that they were the iden- 
tical and evidently now famous Hatchery party. 
"But say my good man" he remarked, "haven't 
we a right to take pictures of ourselves, with the 
scenery as a background? That is not against 
the rules I hope." 

The guide looked puzled for a moment, then 
acknowledged there were no rules against picture 
taking that he knew of. 



Earl's Camera 187 

"But say, you don't need no rods and baskets 
for to take pictures with do you" he asked in a 
suspicious tone. 

"Oh that is it, is it" exclaimed Halstead, as if a 
sudden revelation and a new light had just dawned 
on him. "Why see here, my good fellow, we just 
brought those along to give effect to the pictures. 
The Kid here is mighty anxious to have his picture 
taken on the river, with his fishing togs on, and 
we will probably take a group picture, if we can 
find a good setting. Now is that against the rules 
I want to know? 

"Well: I dunno" said the guide dubiously, 
"I'll see what the governor says". 

Accordingly he consulted the "governor". That 
gentlemen, evidently a broker from the metropo- 
lis, listened gravely to the guide and affirmatively 
nodded his head. The employee then immediately 
returned to Halstead, and in a greatly mollified 
manner told Halstead that it was all right. 

"The governor says it's all right sir, and to go 
ahead and take all the pictures you wanter, any- 
wheres you please." At the same time he gave 
a solemn wink, as he added that there was some 
fine "sights" down the river, around the bend. 

Halstead would have liked to offer the good 
man a dose of bitters but thanked him heartily. 
Duly licensed and authorized they proceeded to 



1 88 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

take several positions at the landing, and he and 
the Kid even got In a boat, and pushing out from 
the shore a little ways, had Earl snap the shutter 
of his camera at them a number of times. Just 
as the good people were embarking In another 
boat to go up the Still Water, Halstead fastened 
his skiff to the bank, and telling Earl to put in 
another "film" in the camera if necessary, he said, 
loud enough for all to hear, that they would get 
some grand views down the river, and proceeded 
to lead the way. 

Not a word was said for long, as the leader 
boldly hit the trail. Indeed, so swiftly did Hal- 
stead follow the trail that both Earl and the Kid 
protested and wanted to know If he was fright- 
ened, that he was "beating" it so. 

"Nope: Just hitting the grit" he remarked 
shortly, falling Into surveyors' slang to express 
himself. 

When they had passed a bend In the river he 
paused, and seeking out a large yellow birch he 
almost savagely snatched the camera from Earl 
and deposited it at the foot of the tree behind a 
log and remarked simply. 

"Now we will fish and not be bothered with 
the precious box". 

With the same dogged determination with 
which he had led the way, and In the same resolute 



Earl's Camera 189 

air he had deposited the camera at the foot of the 
tree, he now led the way to the river bank, which 
was some rods from the trail, at this point. 

The stream they found here to be descending 
in great, precipitous rifts, leaping and tumbling in 
immense white splashes, from shelf to shelf, step 
to step, or table rock to table rock; from pool to 
pool. Its mighty roar they had heard as they came 
along the trail. As they now stepped through the 
bushes to the bank, all burst upon their eyes in a 
glory that must be seen to be appreciated. The wild 
settings of green and a sense of the remote place 
where they were, added charm, even to fascination. 
Earl gave expression to his delight but the Kid 
was awed to silence at the display of wild, rough 
beauty and fearful power. Only by shouting at each 
other, could they make themselves heard at all. 
Yet it was scarcely necessary for any talking. With 
even fewer remarks than he had made on the trail 
Halstead began to joint his rod and fix his tackle. 
Not until they were ready to fix their lines, did he 
deign to instruct the boys. Then with much 
shouting and many motions, he gave Earl to un- 
derstand that he was to use his flies, while the 
Kid, as still a novice was to use worms. 

"But what are you going to use. Uncle?" he 
shouted. 

"Watch sharp and you will see," roared Hal- 



190 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

stead in reply. 

Quite mystified, they both watched their mentor 
attentively. Instead of selecting from his fly 
book, Halstead took a small, flat box from a 
pocket of his coat, and removing the cover reveal- 
ed an assortment of spinners, all of them well 
armed with barbs of the most approved style for 
trolling. Selecting a medium sized one he tied it 
directly on the end of his oiled black silk line, dis- 
pensing with the leader altogether. This done, 
by getting the boys close to him and by dint of 
much shouting, he now told them they were to fish 
the quieter pools and rifts and leave the foaming, 
snow white cascades and rapids to him. 

*'But what are you going to do with the grappl- 
ing hooks" yelled Earl, "somebody drowned 
around here?" 

Halstead made a good natured motion as if 
to box his critic's ears, but evolved his gesture Into 
one of confident "wait and see". Admonishing 
them not to fall into the stream as the current was 
so swift they would surely be swept away and 
drowned, he led them down the stream a couple 
of rods to where there was an ideal pool of water, 
just seething or simmering like a kettle over a 
fire not boiling, but just about to. Into this. Earl, 
at his cousin's sign to do so, cast his fly, and the 
Kid dropped his worm. In a very short time each 




WILD, ROUGH BEAUTY AND FEARFUL POWER 



EarVs Camera iqi 

were rewarded by a good sized trout apiece, and 
in a little while Earl secured a second one. They 
moved on down to the next pool. It was as 
promising as the first. Earl's luck was nil, but 
the Kid got one. Thus they fished several pools 
and together had a dozen trout. But as yet Hal- 
stead had not immersed his precious spinner. Ele 
simply stood by and encouraged and approved his 
young companions' efforts. 

At last when they came to a very positive fall 
in the stream, a "water falls" of some six feet in 
height where the water falling into the bason be- 
low churned it into white foam and threw up 
great clouds of spray, he stepped to the edge of 
the ledge at the upper bank and dropped his line 
into the boiling pit below. 

Swaying his rod and line a very little he gave 
every attention to his undertaking. Suddenly the 
tip of his rod which had been nodding and hob- 
bling stopped that and bent down fearfully. The 
next instant the boys saw the fisherman go leaping, 
running, hop-skip and jumping in a most wild and 
reckless manner, on down the steep bank of the 
falls, and on from crag to crag, ledge to ledge, 
leaving them gaping at the flying tails of his coat. 
Recovering themselves they hurried on after him. 
They saw him in the distance, now playing his 
catch on the rifts, again in a quiet pool, reeling in. 



192 The Story of a Pass in the Ad'irondacks 

He would seem about to take the prize, then it 
would dart towards the outlet and the next thing 
on the program would be a repetition of imme- 
diately preceding struggles. Fifteen minutes saw 
the end of the running fight, though it had given 
Halstead a run of many rods and a helter skelter 
chase down stream. But the boys were in at the 
finish. Panting, they came up in time to see their 
friend adjusting a folding gaff hook which they did 
not know he possessed. Giving the rod to the 
panting and puffing Earl and admonishing him to 
keep a stiff line, he waded out until the water was 
above his knees. Then reaching out he deftly and 
securely hooked the fish by the gills and returned 
to the shore with a five pound land locked salmon. 

The boys were surprised and delighted. They 
did not know there were salmon in the river 
and shouted their pleasure over their discovery. 
Halstead said it was understood that a few ran 
up the magnificent stream from a larger stream. 
But that they were very few and far between, and 
that his tackle would get them if anything would. 
It was novel and original, and so far successful. 
Ere the day's sport was over he had taken six 
salmon, more he explained than he thought ever 
got left over from the run in the spring. 

One experience Halstead had must be told as 
a memorable affair, often talked over, told and 



EarFs Camera 193 

referred to by the boys in later years, but over 
which he never enthused. It was about three 
hours after his first catch and a number of miles 
down the stream. In the turbulent waters of a 
pool under a falls of but four feet he had dropped 
his ponderous tackle and was almost immediately 
rewarded by a mighty strike and a subsequent 
tugging at his line that almost made it smoke 
as it ran out through the guides and which bent 
his rod into a bow. To ease the tension he clear- 
ed the ledge whereon he was standing, by a single 
leap to the rocks below. But ere he had got a 
firm footing there to give attention to his catch, 
it was out of the pool and racing madly down the 
rifts below. Then began a battle singular, a 
struggle positive, a contest sublime. The entire 
affair be it noted, as will appear, was memorable. 
Halstead raced as madly along the banks as his 
strike did along the foaming stream. The next 
comparatively quiet pool where he had an oppor- 
tunity to reel in and inject a little scientific work 
into the contest, proved to be a long way down the 
stream and he was well winded. The boys came 
tumbling down the banks some moments after- 
wards and were too much out of breath to even 
comment, to say nothing of offering possible 
suggestions or tendering offers of help. The 
strenuous fisherman was winding his reel like mad. 



194 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

The rod bent like willow, while the line describing 
circles In the water, seemed to indicate that the 
catch was trying to commit suicide by hanging or 
to lose consciousness by getting dizzy. It was 
not a case of "all bound with a woolen string" but 
something like. 

Suddenly the line moved swiftly to the lower 
edge of the pool and again there was the mad 
race in the swift flowing water and on the rocky, 
stumpy, tangled bank. Halstead managed to keep 
his feet for all the obstructions in his way and 
successfully reached the next pool (a long way 
down the stream) with his rod, tackle, line and 
ponderous catch intact and securely connected 
from the reel in the socket to the whatever was 
impaled on the barbs of his spinner. The boys 
with nothing to do but chase after their kinsman 
were not so fortunate. The Kid had tripped and 
barked his shins and torn a great hole in his pants. 
Earl arrived at the scene of the second great 
struggle between catcher and caught, with a copi- 
ous hemorrage of the nose, the result of his fall- 
ing flat on his face as he clambered excitedly down 
a steep place on the bank. 

But this second stopping place was not to be 
the last. Thrice more were the racing, chasing, 
tumbling stunts repeated. At last, at a bend of 
the river, a big North Woods mile from where 



• Earl's Camera 195 

the memorable strike was made, where there was 
a piece of quiet, placid and wide still water over a 
sloping bottom, the struggle ended. Halstead 
was as determined as ever, although well tired out 
and near to harsh and vulgar swearing and curs- 
ing, so anxious and wrought up was he. But as the 
boys came tumbling down to him he was coolly 
reeling up in a careful and calculating manner. 

"I think I've got the darned old cuss of a sock 
dodger of a whale" he said by way of a com- 
promise on real swearing. 

"Lord I hope so" answered Earl as he affec- 
tionately swabbed his still bleeding nose. 

"Well get the gaff hook and open it up" ordered 
Halstead crisply, still carefully reeling in and 
keeping his line properly taut. 

"Where is it? Have you lost it?" asked the 
bewildered Earl. For not seeing it and forget- 
ting that it was a folding one, he jumped at this 
irritating conclusion. 

"No : it's in my hip pocket", snapped Halstead." 
He drags as if he was about drowned" he added, 
as he extended his hand that held the rod and 
noted the dead weight on his line, now that they 
were in still water. 

Earl got the gaff hook from his cousin's pocket 
and adjusting it offered to wade out and secure 
the prize. 



196 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

*'Not on your life" exclaimed Halst;ead with 
spirit. "You can bet I don't take any chances on 
this jumbo's getting away even if he does act 
dead," he continued decisively. 

So saying he passed his rod to his left hand and 
taking the gaff hook in his right, he waded out 
into the water, keeping the line taut in his ever 
skillful manner. With bated breath and hearts 
beating abnormally from excitement as well as 
running, the boys watched and waited. Their 
kinsman waded into the calm and dark water until 
it was half way up his thighs. He extended his 
left hand and ventured to give his catch just a little 
of "the butt", in an endeavor to bring the great 
weight within reach of his gaff. But the simple 
dead drag was too great. Finally he took hold 
of the line itself with his right hand and carefully 
and cautiously drew in towards him. 

Expectancy on the part of his auditors was now 
at the highest as they watched him slip the line 
under his fingers that clasped the butt of his rod 
and then reach down with his hook into the black, 
placid water. He peered down into the depths 
for an instant and then poked instead of hooking 
with his gaff. Then with an exclamation that 

sounded suspiciously like "well I'll be d d" he 

straightened up, turned and waded ashore, drag- 
ging a huge piece of water logged tan bark after 



EarFs Camera 197 

him, Into which the barbs of his spinner were so 
firmly Imbedded that he had to cut them out with 
his heavy camping knife. 

It was an embarrassing situation and moment, 
all around. But the boys Instantly sensed the de- 
licacy of the whole affair, and refrained from re- 
mark or comment. The fooled fisherman having 
let off a little steam In the single strong remark 
he had made on discovering the tan bark, dug out 
his tackle without a word. This done however 
and the strained hooks bent back to proper shape 
by a pair of pocket pliers, he gave the Innocent 
cause of all the recent excitement, and the smasher 
of all his high hopes of "the biggest ever" a poke 
with his foot and exclaimed: 

''There: If either of you boys want to tote 
my jumbo back to the Hatchery you're welcome to 
him. I was calculating on using him for fire wood 
while I was playing him on the stream. Hemlock 
bark, when It's dry, makes a good hot fire you 
know." 

This good natured observation, suggestion and 
declaration eased the tension and raised a laugh, 
whereat the boys felt at liberty to break their 
silence and to speak of the affair in "lighter vein". 
This they did at once, and many times afterwards. 
And although Halstead always grinned good na- 
turedly over either a recitation of the incident, or 



198 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

possible banter, it is needless to say, and as be- 
fore mentioned, he never enthused about it. 

The tan bark episode did one good thing. It 
broke the fascinating spell Halstead's angling for 
salmon had cast over the boys. They had grossly 
neglected their own efforts to catch fish to watch 
and follow their companion as he moved from 
cascades to seething rifts. Following the Kill that 
ensued after landing the tan bark they counted 
up their catch of speckled trout and found they 
had only eighteen all told. This would never do. 
Halstead too chaffed and scolded them. So they 
set to work seriously and in a little while doubled 
their catch. 

The tan bark event had taken the party down 
stream about as far as Halstead had planned to 
go. So after the boys had caught the reasonable 
number of trout for their creels, he led the boys 
on a "short cut" home. The course of the stream 
was such that their return admitted of leaving it 
and taking a trail direct through the woods to the 
Stillwater whence they had started. 



CHAPTER XV 

A LAKE OR WHAT 

HALSTEAD knew the trail well and went along 
with his usual long strides. They soon left 
the river behind, and were passing through the 
dense woods. There was the soft green shrub- 
bery, relieved by the dark and towering trunks 
of the trees, as always. 

"What is that ahead, a lake?" asked the Kid 
after awhile, as his sharp eyes detected the faint 
glint of brighter light with haze, ahead of them 
and a little lower than they were at that moment. 

"Don't know" was the brief answer of Hal- 
stead. For in spite of his mentally herculean task 
of keeping his temper over the tan bark affair, he 
was still a bit sore inside. His short remarks all 
along, had revealed that that irritation still lin- 
gered. 

"No, there is no lake between here and the 
Hatchery," volunteered Earl, speaking up and fill- 
ing the void in the conversation, if not the one in 
his cousin's heart. 

"How do you know, smarty," retorted the Kid 
with some spirit. 

199 



200 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

"Because I was studying the map last night and 
I know" Earl answered decisively. "I saw this 
trail we are following on the map, and I recog- 
nized it when we started, back by the river. For 
that matter," he added with pride, "I recognize 
the topography of the country we have gone 
through all day, just by my studying the map as I 
have." 

''Oh, you do, do you?" twitted the Kid; "well, 
maybe you will tell us what lake that is ahead 
of us". For, while he had not studied the map, he 
had sharp and observing eyes, and he knew from 
the experience they already had had in tramping 
through the forest, that the glimmer of the after- 
noon sun below and ahead of them, betokened a 
clear space of some kind. 

"There is no lake I tell you, or it would be on 
the map" answered Earl. 

"Well I say there is a lake or pond between 
here and the Hatchery" persisted the Kid. 

"Well I know there is no lake or pond between 
here and the Hatchery" was the answer. 

"Oh there is, and it is right ahead down in 
that little hollow; see how the sun brings out a 
different green, and the haze, as we always see" 
was the reasoning retort of the Kid. 

Thus the argument was carried on, as is often 
the case with people who do not know what they 



A Lake or What 201 

are talking about. It might have been carried 
to a stage of an ill natured quarrel, had not Hal- 
stead's innate good nature come to the rescue for 
all of his inner ill humor. 

"Well, well, don't get to scrapping about it 
boys" he said, and he proposed, with a twinkle in 
his eye, that they have a look at the map to prove 
one or the other of them right. 

To this Earl assented, and the two paused to 
examine the map, but the Kid pushed on past them 
and made his way forward a few rods. 

He suddenly stopped, peered through the 
bushes and foliage a moment, and then shouted. 

"I say: there is a house down there, and it's 
got a stove pipe on it too. Somebody is living 
here in the woods. Let's go and see." 

"House nothing. It's just an old stump stick- 
ing up over a boulder, you see," muttered Earl, 
as he bent over the map, rolled out on a stump. 

But the persistent kid penetrated through the 
last of the thick brush that grew at the very end 
of the trail, they had been following. He now set 
up a loud shout and said there were several 
houses. 

Earl's interest in the map was overcome by his 
curiosity to ascertain what his young cousin really 
did see, and he quickly joined the shouting boy. 
He too joined his shouts to the latter's and called 



202 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

to Halstead. 

"Come here quick there Is a whole city. Let's 
go and call on the mayor." 

"Probably the capital of Hatchery Town," was 
Halstead's comment as he joined them. Then hd 
announced to the boys that it was an abandoned 
lumber camp, and it was to permit their examin- 
ing it, which caused him to take the trail they did. 

There, before them in the center of a scraggly 
clearing, close by a swiftly flowing little brook, 
was the deserted village of the Lumber Jack. The 
buildings were pretentious enough and sufficient in 
number to be called a city, if located in the wilds 
of Alaska. As they made their way towards the 
buildings, through the tangled thicket, they half 
expected to see some slatternly woman appear at 
a back door with a pail of slops, or a bewhiskered 
and ragged man appear at a front door. 

"You wouldn't believe me when I saw the deer 
ahead on the trail the first day, and you didn't 
believe me this time. Maybe you will next time :" 
said the Kid as they approached the buildings over 
a bit of log bridging across the creek. 

"But you said it was a lake, and I knew it 
wasn't any lake, for there isn't any around here, 
because I have studied the map," answered Earl. 

Halstead's interruption to describe the first 
building they came up to, caused them to forget 



A Lake or What 203 

their controversy, which was not renewed again. 

"This," said Halstead, assuming a lordly air, 
"was the main building used as the Community 
House, as the Socialists would say, and in reality 
the home of half a hundred Lumber Jacks for the 
major part of the year. On either side you see 
the bunks, wherein they sought the embrace of 
Morpheus. Yonder is the stove, round whose 
cheerful heat, they gathered o' evenings, while 
here on this rough deal table, many games of 
chance were played to wile dull care away, safe 
from the 'winter's flaw.' 

"Sounds wonderfully like a Coney Island 
spieler, for all of your Shakespeare" exclaimed 
Earl, as he and the Kid gingerly followed the 
speaker into the gloomy and littered interior. 

"But it is real and that is more than the coal 
mines are at Coney. They are only painted, 
canvas frames," said the Kid, much impressed 
by the reality of this novelty they had stumbled 
onto in the woods. 

"Yes, you are right. Kid," said Halstead. "It 
was reality for the boys here, all right." 

Thus was classic lore, jovial banter and practi- 
cal speech indulged in for the next hour as they 
explored the mysteries of the lumber camp, with 
as much vim as they had the Hatchery a few days 
before. 



204 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

The camp had been used for five years during 
the getting out of a choice lot of standing lumber, 
a contractor had purchased of the Club, and had 
only been abandoned two years before. The lum- 
ber crop in this vicinity had thus been harvested 
in half a decade and then the little settlement 
abandoned to the fates of a scarred and raped 
nature. It had taken two hundred years to pro- 
duce the crop of trees, harvested so quickly. Fully 
another three hundred years would pass ere out- 
raged nature would make good another crop. 
Meanwhile the substantial building of logs, lum- 
ber and shakes would slowly rot away, leaving an 
odd patch In that particular part of the reclaimed 
forest, for some future scientist to puzzle and 
ponder over. 

Beyond the building they entered first was an- 
other of the same size, connected by an open area 
some ten feet between the two. A single roof 
connected them and covered the passage. This 
second building was kitchen and dinning room, as 
tables, shelves and cupboards attested. Grease 
spots and general grime showed where the cook- 
ing range had stood. Here also were partitioned 
off several cell like bed rooms with rough but 
more comfortable bunks than those In the other 
building, and attested to a dividing line between 
the boss and a few other favored ones of the 



A Lake or What 205 

common herd. The most pretentious cell Hal- 
stead said probably belonged to the cook, a per- 
son of power and influence in any contractors' 
camp. There was another bunk house and a 
small building, evidently an office judging from a 
set of pigeon holes and a slanting desk both built 
of planed lumber. Two large buildings for 
horses, with the stalls indicated by poles, a black- 
smith shop with a litter of horse shoes and other 
merchant iron scattered about; a store house and a 
hen house, snug and warm enough with its thick, 
well chinked log walls, to protect the combs of 
fowl from the frost and encourage laying of eggs 
on the part of pullets. Into a bank near the 
kitchen of the settlement had been built what was 
evidently the root cellar of the little community. 
Besides half of it being sunk into the side of the 
hill, turf and soil had been heaped around the 
exposed walls. A small window and door gave 
the only light. 

As the Kid was poking around in this shack he 
espied what he took to be a bundle or heap of 
rags in a dark corner, and gave it a husky kick. 
His maneuver was followed by a howl of pain on 
his part while the dark object began to crawl up 
the side wall. Halstead siezed a club and des- 
patched the hedghog as of course it was, and led 
the yowling youth to the sunshine outside. 



2o6 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

The injuries were not serious. The light re- 
vealed several quills sticking into the toe of one 
of his shoes. He was for taking it off forthwith. 
But this Halstead forbade, telling him that in 
doing so, he would be likely to break the sharp 
points of the quills off and leave them in his per- 
son, where they might wander in time most any- 
where, even his heart, and cause his death. This 
stopped his whimpering and he consented to let 
Earl and Halstead set to to pull them out. Only 
two or three came out with ease. Others it was 
impossible to remove by the simple process of 
pulling at them with their fingers. They were 
imbedded so deeply and firmly that their fingers 
slipped from them as if they had been greased, 
and Halstead had to call into use his pocket pliers. 
When they had all been carefully withdrawn, the 
Kid at once removed his shoe and stocking to 
examine his punctured toes and was plainly dis- 
appointed at finding no particular evidence of his 
prickly encounter with the hedgehog. 

In this the Kid was much surprised and disgust- 
ed and went to give the animal an inspection. He 
was a very large and old specimen of his race with 
unusually long quills on his back. These had caused 
the trouble to our bright and ordinary cheerful 
hero. Any who have been in the woods and have 
had much to do with porcupines will appreciate 



// Lake or IVhat 207 

his sentiments as he finished his examination by 
saying they looked for all the world like pin 
cushions with the pins stuck in the wrong way, 
only said he : 

*'They are sharper'n any needles ever made." 
A description of this lumber camp our party 
explored on this occasion would be a description 
of practically all abandoned lumber camps in the 
new world where there is a prodigal waste of 
about everything. Besides a most generous use of 
lumber from huge logs for the walls of the build- 
ings to boards for roofs, flooring and partitions, 
there is a reckless abandon of about everything 
when it comes to leaving for good. When the 
work is done, tools and equipment are left as well 
as the buildings themselves. A novice would 
think that the litter of parts of harness in the 
stables, the iron in the smithy, the saws, axes and 
other paraphernalia left about, with heating 
stoves, lanterns, mattresses, pails, barrels, tubs 
and personal effects would be taken away when the 
place was abandoned. But evidently it is figured 
that the effort to get all loaded and, bound for a 
long trip of transportation, the cost would more 
than offset the value of the articles. 

Such log settlements or the ruins of them rather 
are scattered all over the Adirondacks where lum- 
ber operations have been carried on. Within 



2o8 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

exactly twenty years the writer has seen ten such 
settlements left to the crumbling hand of time, all 
within a radius of sixty miles. There was al- 
ways a lot of "duffle" besides the buildings proper. 
From one abandoned lumber camp a few years 
ago, he requisitioned a perfectly good coffee pot 
to make his coffee in during the rest of his trip; 
and but for the fact that he goes to the woods to 
get rid of such things, would have dropped into 
his pack basket a perfectly good alarm clock 
which was in the cooks "cell". On winding, it 
began to tick merrily. So setting the alarm a half 
a day ahead, he left it to possibly startle the 
prowling hedgehogs, of which there were many 
evidences. 

Lumber in the walls of the buildings in the 
shape of unsawed logs would figure up to many 
thousands of feet board measure. The floorings, 
roofs, gable ends, partitions etc., of rough boards 
would tally up many more thousands of feet. They 
are generally left intact, with even the glazed 
window sash in place. The walls of the first one 
he explored twenty years ago, (with as much in- 
terest and excitement as a boy) is scarcely discern- 
ible now In the confused and tangled thicket that 
has overgrown the clearing. A few bleaching skele- 
tons of mouldering logs, a few heaps of rotting 
butts, rusting Iron, with a glistening strip of white 



A Lake or What 209 

pine, remains of a glazed and puttied window 
sash, are all that remain of the domicile of the 
Lumber Jack, where Halstead had said, "games 
were played to wile dull care away, safe from the 
winter's flaw". 



CHAPTER XVI 

A RAINY DAY IN CAMP 

THE visit to the desolate and crumbling lumber 
camp made the members of the party appre- 
ciate all the more, their snug and pleasant retreat 
in the mountains; especially as a thunder storm 
came up before they had reached its friendly and 
spacious shelter. 

Halstead had discerned the signs of an impend- 
ing storm from the clearing at the lumber camp, 
by the lowering and black clouds. He spoke to 
the boys to hurry along, and mutterings and rum- 
bles of thunder as they were on the trail, quick- 
ened their steps. The artillery of heaven was 
going full blast by the time they had reached the 
camera. For be it known that they had stopped 
to pick up this useful affair. It had been their 
passport to a day's pleasure and they did not 
propose to leave it out in the wet. By the time 
they had gained the trail along Jewett's brook 
leading to the Hatchery, big drops of rain were 
spattering on the leaves in a lively manner. The 
quarter of a mile to their place of abode was made 

2IO 



A Rainy Day in Camp 2 1 1 

on the run. When they reached the veranda the 
down pour was on In earnest. 

"It looks as though It were setting in for an all 
night's shower," remarked Halstead, as he ob- 
served the sky from the veranda after supper. 

"Oh well, who cares?" said Earl. 

"I should worry," echoed the Kid. 

"Right, boys," said Halstead, tersely. 

Thus was the first rain they had had since com- 
ing to the woods, welcomed with light-hearted 
indifference. It was still raining the next morn- 
ing when all awoke, a little earlier than usual. 
Such seems to be perverse nature at times. When 
a man longs to sleep he should get up, and when 
he can sleep as long as he wishes, he awakens 
early and clearly. 

But a rainy day in camp is far from being a 
calamity, if one is domiciled in a snug camp that 
will shed the water which is coming down. Rather, 
it is often welcomed as an agreeable change by 
many sportsmen. It affords relief to any possi- 
ble conscientious scruples which some have, that 
they must improve each shining hour in banging 
about the woods and streams. One can loaf, 
smoke, read, and putter and browse over duffle 
on a rainy day, all without a guilty feeling of 
wasting time. 

Our friends spent the day following their mem- 



2 12 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

orable trip down the river, much in this way. Their 
loafing was different from that of their second 
day at the Hatchery. Then it savored of pure 
laziness. The boys were uneasy and restless, and 
Halstead lethargic. This time the boys content- 
edly read, whittled, explored and re-inventoried 
things in their place of abode and their own per- 
sonal outfit. Halstead was lazy in an intelligent 
way. Not a stranger to a rainy day in camp, he 
instinctively turned to its proper occupation. He 
overhauled all his outfit, rewound flies and rods 
in spots, oiled reels, whetted up his knives, and 
noted and resolved for the next trip. 

Enough to eat, in the way of fresh fish, trout 
and land-locked salmon, was on hand to last for 
days. Over twenty pounds had been the tally, as 
they had cleaned and prepared the catch the night 
before. Fifteen pounds had been buried in the 
sawdust of the ice house. Therefore they had 
sufficient for the balance of their stay. Their 
first rain storm had marked the beginning of the 
second week of their hastily snatched, but oh, so 
gloriously enjoyable vacation. Five days more 
remained of their stay in this enchanted spot. They 
had plenty to eat. Yes, why worry? 

Thus they argued and agreed, as the afternoon 
sun cleared the sky, lightening up with only such 
glorious light as can come in the mountains. They 



A Rainy Day in Camp 213 

had assembled about the fire place in the general 
room after supper. A fire had been kept smould- 
ering there all day, more for a sense of comfort 
and luxury, than of necessity. They stretched and 
yawned in contentment noting and remarking the 
grand clearing up of the atmosphere after twenty- 
four hours of downpour. Each was thinking of 
the plans that should in all honesty be made for 
the morrow, which promised to be so fine, yet each 
loath to broach the subject. Halstead remarked 
idly, that it had been a fine day for all of the rain, 
when suddenly, ting-a-ling, ling went the telephone. 

Yes, there . is a telephone in the Hatchery, 
strange as it may appear. It is a part of the 
Club's system of telephones throughout its tract, 
connecting it with the outside world. 

It had rung a few times daily, since their arri- 
val, but no attention had been paid to it because 
the ring was not for them. Their ring was one 
long and two shorts. It was posted up over the 
instrument, in the round and firm handwriting of 
the guide-lineman wh6 had installed it. Ascer- 
taining the call when they first arrived, the only 
attention they paid to the two or three rings which 
occurred each day, was, that they were not one 
long and two shorts. That was enough for them. 
Halstead had anathematized the telephone, when 
they discovered it .first, as an instrument of bar- 



2 14 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

barous civilization and had forbidden the boys to 
touch It. Agreeing with him that it was a nui- 
sance, they had readily obeyed his command. 

But this time it came clear, sharp and pro- 
nounced; one long and two shorts. As it began 
to ring, all felt Instinctively that it was the Hatch- 
ery call, and so it proved to be. Is telepathy 
facilitated by the wires of the telephone? We 
cannot say. 

Anyway, as the last jingle died away In the last 
short, Earl said: "By jove, I thought It was our 
call. What's doing do you suppose?" 

Halstead, as he brought his tilted chair down 
with a bang, held up his hand and muttered an 
imprecaution as he hoarsely whispered "I felt it 
in my bones." 

In due time it began to ring again and there 
was no doubt. 

He got up with a sigh and going to the instru- 
ment, took down the receiver. 

"Yes" he said, "this Is the Hatchery 

Yes this is the John Randle party What's 

that? Another party? Well but we 

have the use of the Hatchery for six days yet. . . . 

Well, yes five days from tomorrow. .... .Why 

yes, I suppose there are accommodations for them 

in the guide's room upstairs Just as you say 

only we would prefer to remain undisturbed." 



A Rainy Day in Camp 215 

And with this one-sided conversation he banged 
the receiver in its place, and with a melancholy 
air and with his voice a mixture of dismay, des- 
pair and tragedy, said: 

"Well, we are going to have company. The 
Bussby Manager says that there is a party of 
sports on the way here." 

"Let's turn 'em out" exclaimed Earl, as he be- 
gan to poke up the fire with vigor. 

"How can we turn 'em out when they aren't 
here?" said the Kid. 

"That's the idea" said Earl, seizing at the sug- 
gestion like a drowning man at a straw. "Let's 
tell 'em, when they get here that there's no room, 
and to hike along to Little Deer lake. They can 
make it before dark." 

"No, that will not do," commented Halstead, 
"They left Bussby an hour ago, when the rain 
stopped there. They ought to be along very soon. 
You must remember there is less than an hour's 
light yet, and they would not get to the head of 
Still Water by then. We have simply got to take 
them in. 

A groan escaped from both Earl and the Kid 
at this announcement of Halstead's. But they 
had scarcely time to echo their dejection in words, 
when hoarse, though merry laughter was wafted 
across the clearing, mingled with a shout or two. 



2i6 The Story of a Pass in the Adtrondacks 

"Well, here we are" said a full hearty voice, 
indicative of a big, husky, good-natured owner. 

"Yes, and people to give us a welcome, too" 
answered an equally kind voice, though pitched 
in a high staccato. 

"Yep ! see smoke coming out of the chimney. 
Hope they have supper all ready for us," came 
in a quick, snappy tone, betokening a man of 
quick, decisive character. 

All this our friends listened to intently, in the 
consternation of being obliged to receive unwel- 
come visitors, and awed by the oppressiveness of 
the inevitable fate confronting them. Little did 
Halstead guess what that fate was to be. The 
instincts of a gentleman, coupled with the cheery 
and anticipatory character of the conversation 
wafted across the clearing, impelled him to wel- 
come the intruders with graciousness. Inspired 
by the voices he summoned the resources of his 
instincts of propriety, arose with alacrity for all 
of his sigh and went out onto the porch. 

A little group of four people were half way 
across the clearing, following the path through 
the closely cropped grass. In the lead was a me- 
dium sized man of jovial face. Walking by his 
side yet a bit behind him was a tall youth of fresh 
complexion, his rather girlish face surmounted by 
an alpine hat thrust stubbornly down upon a 



A Rainy Day in Camp 217 

shock of blond curls. Behind these two came a 
beefy man of middle age. The glint in his eye 
belied his very evident, "bushed" appearance. For 
while his walk betrayed fatigue, and the guide of 
the party kept solicitiously near him, his own 
bearing was that of a man disgusted with his 
immediate lot, but determined to survive if not to 
surrender to it. His feet shuffled along the worn 
trail rather than tramped over it. His stocky 
frame did not slouch along; it just humped along 
with grim determination, as his snappy eyes plain- 
ly showed. 

As Halstead appeared on the veranda he spoke 
to the guide at his side in a low but quick tone. 

"Who in sin is the man on the steps? I've 
seen him before". 

"I expects it's the John Randle the manager of 
Bussby told us was here" answered the guide as 
he glanced up at the fair but stalwart form of 
Halstead standing ready to meet them at the 
steps. 

"John Randle nothing" snapped the beefy 
man" "it is Fred Halstead. I met him at a 
meeting of the Hasty Pudding club a dozen years 
ago, when he was an undergraduate". 

"I dunno what he was ever under" answered 
the guide a bit puzzled, "but I can find out his 
name by the asking I suppose". 



2i8 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

So saying he pushed on past the youth and his 
stocky companion and addressed Halstead In the 
mild but confident tones of his class. 

"Be you the John Randle the manager of Buss- 
by lodge said as was here?" 

"Well I suppose so" said Halstead without 
hesitation. "Anyway, I am pleased to welcome 
your party to the Hatchery and invite you in and 
ask you all to make yourselves at home". 

"Sure thing" - exclaimed the jovial faced one 
who had led the way across the clearing. "We 
are here because we are here, and I propose we 
stay here and get acquainted". 

"It certainly Is a welcome we appreciate" added 
the youth with the alpine hat. 

"Well sir:" said the guide, "this here party 
is Boston folks mostly, and it's their first trip in. 
This is Mr. Hogg and his son" Indicating the 
jovial leader and the tall youth. 

Halstead bowed and bent over and shook hands 
with father and son as they stepped up to meet 
him. 

"And this" said the guide as his fatigued com- 
panion forged up "Is" 

"Don't need any Introduction" snapped that 
individual. And for an explanation he grasped 
the outstretched hand of our worthy friend and 
instead of the ordinary handshake, the spectators 



A Rainy Day in Camp 219 

were treated to an unexplainable yank the stout 
man gave Halstead the instant their hands met, 
precipitating the latter in a near sprawling manner 
on the turf of the clearing. 

Halstead, at first amazed, flushed and quickly 
regaining both his composure and equilibrium 
gazed upon his new wilderness friend with 
astonishment; but only for a moment. Then 
drawing a long breath, he said: 

"Well of all things : the last person in the world 
I ever expected to meet in the woods. Come on 
into the office." 

"Certainly" said the individual addressed. And 
with ponderous tread over the veranda flooring 
he followed Halstead into the Hatchery and on 
into the boys' bed room where they were closeted 
sometime. 

Meanwhile, upon Earl, naturally fell the duties 
of second mate as it were. He met the situation 
with becoming modesty but promptitude. He in- 
vited the rest into the main room and told them 
to make themselves at home. 

Mr. Hogg and his son at once entered and sat 
down to rest. The guide stalked on through the 
dining room into the kitchen. There, with ex- 
perienced habits he proceeded to unpack his basket 
and prepare a meal for his party. Earl volun- 
teered his assistence which was quietly declined, 



220 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

so after showing the man where needful things 
were and telling him to use anything In their 
larder he wished rejoined the Kid and the two 
newly arrived strangers. 

Halstead and his mysterious friend were clos- 
eted In the bedroom for long. For a moment there 
would be the mumbled echoes of conversation, 
then hilarious laughter, a chuckle or two, then a 
mild exclamation of remonstrance from Halstead. 
This would be followed by a guffaw and a shout 
of delight of some kind from the mysterious Mr. 
Martin. Once Halstead opened the door and 
told Earl to hustle out to the Ice house and get a 
good mess of the salmon and give to the guide 
to cook for the supper. The mysterious confer- 
ence continued on In the bedroom until near the 
announcement of supper. When at last they did 
appear, the doughty Mr. Martin had apparently 
forgotten his fatigue and Halstead had entirely 
regained his good humor, somewhat ruffled by 
the unusual greeting that had been his when they 
met at the steps of the veranda. Mr. Martin at 
once made clear the results of their long confab 
behind closed doors. Leading Halstead by the 
arm up to his companion Mr. Hogg he said: 

"Hogg, behold the biggest catch of the sea- 
son, the largest sucker In the woods and the most 
ungrateful wretch In the mountains. I introduce 



A Rainy Day in Camp 221 

to you one Frederic Halstead, sailing under a 
piratical flag as one John Randle, clam digger of 
Long Island, trying to get a bit of the ozone of 
the mountains as a change from the saline air of 
the ocean". Mr. Hogg rose and shook hands 
cordially and Halstead shook hands cordially with 
the lad of the alpine hat and explanations were 
made to the puzzled and wondering Earl and Kid. 
In short It was as follows: The stout man of 
the party was a Mr. Martin of Boston who had 
known Halstead and his family for many years. 
He had recognized Halstead on the instant he 
saw him on the veranda. He had just strength 
enough left from his fatigue of the tramp to give 
him the jovial and merry yank that had so nearly 
precipitated Halstead on his head on the ground. 
But yet he was so near bushed that he at once 
had followed the latter's invitation to go to the 
"office" to talk matters over. There the matters 
proved to be the huge joke his arrival had placed 
the occupants of the Hatchery in, in general, and 
his old friend in particular. He appreciated It 
and would have kept it a secret and let Halstead 
alone had it not been so good. Halstead had 
been for having his friend pass his pass along 
with him as John Randle, proposing to leave next 
morning for Mink lake and spend the remainder 
of their vacation at Seth's. But his old friend 



222 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

would have none of it. He at first had pretended 
to be greatly scandalized over what Halstead had 
told him, and declared he would report him to 
both the authorities of the law and of the Game 
Club. Halstead had retaliated by telling his 
friend to go ahead. If he did this he would ex- 
ercise his rights to the Hatchery until he had 
proven that he was not John Randle which would 
take at least a full week. Mr. Martin and his 
two friends must leave at once with their guide 
and camp under a bush if they could not make 
Little Deer lake before dark. He, Halstead and 
his cousin and the Kid could finish their five days 
remaining, in their peaceful retreat and then make 
their escape before his friend Martin could prove 
he was NOT John Randle and summon the min- 
ions of the law or ofHcials of the Club. 

Mr. Martin was as fertile in plans as was Hal- 
stead. He was a member of the Club, and once 
he had established the imposition Halstead had 
practiced on his organization and it would go hard 
with him. Thus they had argued and haggled 
until the novelty of the situation had worn off, 
when each invited the other to be the other's guest 
at the Hatchery over night anyway. Thus the 
situation stood when the two worthies had 
emerged from the bed room. Thus it continued 
all the evening, and during the remaining five 



A Rainy Day in Camp 223 

days the two parties were together. The Alpine 
youth and Earl and the Kid were soon acquainted 
while Mr. Hogg, Mr. Martin and Halstead were 
companions on daily trips on the Still Water for 
fishing from boats. For Mr. Martin declared he 
was too beefy, and the way too rough for him 
to make any extensive tramps. He even wonder- 
ed how he was ever to get out of the woods at all, 
now he was in. Earl and the Kid were proud to 
act as guides to the other youth down the river, 
and they were nearly as successful as the mem- 
orable day Halstead had played the tan bark. 
The guide of their new friends looked after all 
the cooking, Mr. Martin as a member of the 
Club, took them all under his protection and 
altogether their lot was well. Yet strange to say 
that while they fished with Impunity where and 
when they pleased, free from any Interference, 
yet the thrilling zest of their previous efforts was 
lacking. In fact the sport was tame, and but 
for the fact of leaving their companionable 
friends, they found that with a good deal of spice 
of their adventure gone, they were almost eager 
to return to the heated city and to the work and 
duties there demanded. 

Yet It was not so either. For they all had had 
a grand time, formed new and lasting friends, and 
their trips were repeated each year. First under 



224 The Story of a Pass in the Adirondacks 

the kindly invitation and annual passes secured 
for them by Mr. Martin, and eventually as mem- 
bers of the Club themselves, as the years passed 
and prosperity responded to their earnest and 
true efforts in work and business ten months of 
the year. Though they occasionally put up at 
one of the regular club houses, they more often 
sought the retreat of the Hatchery or some other 
remote part of the preserve for the more genuine 
pleasure to be had uncontaminated by the more 
exacting refinements of civilization. 

This however was all in the future. This time, 
on the last day at the Hatchery, they got Billy 
the cub from his den In the old barn, packed him 
gently into one of their nearly empty pack baskets 
and bidding good bye to their new friends, set 
off with no particular regrets, but with positive 
satisfaction at their narrow escape, as they set 
their faces towards Seth Egan's domicile on Mink 
lake. The trip was made in a single day, so 
hardened and strengthened had they all become 
with their outing. And before they left their 
old friend at Mink lake, they found themselves 
planning for the next year. 



4 



1 

i 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




0014 114231 8 



